Daddy's Little Princess (Old Version)
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: It has been several months since the events on Mustafar. Vader finds Leia on Alderaan and immediately knows she is his daughter. What happens when he decides to raise Leia? When a mission for the Emperor takes him to Naboo what happens when Leia goes off to find out more about her mother?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! So I have finally gotten around to posting the rewrite of this story. There are several things that are different now but a lot of it is the same, just better written and more detailed.

Happy reading!

-DFD

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Chapter 1

Leia had always been an adventurous little toddler. From the moment she started to move, she figured out how to get into most anything. It didn't help that she had already started to show signs of her paternity through her use of the Force. She would use it to reach containers on the kitchen counter and levitate them until they were off within her tiny reach. Bail Organa had grown fearful over the months since she was born. Her biological father, Darth Vader, the fearsome Sith Lord, the Emperor's second, and Commander of the Imperial Fleet could show up at any given time, and Organa feared what would happen to Leia if he did. He still mourned Leia's mother, a close friend and colleague of his, who was murdered by the Sith and he swore on her deathbed that he would protect her daughter.

On this particular day, Bail's worst fear was realized as he watched Vader's shuttle dock at the Alderaanian Palace. To ensure Leia's safety he ensured the child was in her room with every possible toy to occupy her attention and prevent her from crawling around the palace on another adventure. Organa settled into his chair at his desk in his office, waiting for Vader to march in. He had an idea what Vader wanted. It was well known he did not support the Empire, and Vader was most likely sent to search for proof of his work with resistance groups. Organa shifted in his seat and adjusted the collar of his shirt; that will not happen. He will not let intimidation sway him from his actions, which were morally righteous.

The sound of Vader's respirator echoed as he neared the senator's office. Organa stared straight at the door, and forced a brave face so he would not seem cowardly before Vader. When he first saw the Sith, he had been beyond surprised at the damage Obi-Wan had inflicted on the youth. He had known what the Jedi had done to his former apprentice, but to see how the man was forced to live was shocking. Before that encounter, he had thought Skywalker had been a handsome young man, evident by his large fan following throughout the Clone Wars yet from what Kenobi had told him, it would seem that was no longer the case.

When the door to his office finally opened and the tall black clad figure of Vader strode in, Organa sat straighter in his seat. "Lord Vader." He greeted.

"Senator." Vader returned, his deep mechanical voice responded, "I believe you know why I'm here." He said, cutting to the chase.

"I'm afraid I don't know." Organa feigned ignorance, "Please, enlighten me."

"You and your allies have been against the formation of the Empire from the start." Vader started, "And now we have reports of military grade ships and requisitions going missing. I wouldn't be surprised if it was because you were inciting a rebellion." He said, pacing the width of the room slowly, his hands folded behind his back.

"Yes, I am aware of the supplies going missing. I already have someone investigating the matter." He lied. Organa focused on trying to remain calm, well aware the Sith would be able to sense his discomfort. He had thought he was being careful with how slowly he was moving things around. Apparently that was not slow enough and the means by which he attempted to cover his tracks had obviously backfired somewhat.

"The Emperor wishes me to conduct my own investigation."

"That won't be necessary, my lord." Organa said as he caught a glimpse of a small white onsie quickly making its way down the hall. His eyes widened. Leia had gotten out of her room. _Kriff where was her nurse?_ He couldn't let his thoughts dwell on the predicament for long. "I imagine it is most likely just a miscommunication." He said, focusing his attention back on Vader, "Most of the supplies were scheduled to be sent off to Cato Neimoidia or Mygeetoto help with the reconstruction and they very well might have accidently been mixed up with other shipments." Organa's mind rushed as he tried to casually move to block Leia from entering the room but he wasn't fast enough. Before he reached the door the toddler had wormed her way into the room and started to crawl towards his desk.

"I highly doubt that." Vader said, unaware of their uninvited guest, "There is no way all those supplies were misdirected. I know you had a part to play in their disappearance."

Leia had a wide cheeky smile on her face as one of the frames on his desk was dragged to the floor by way of the Force. Vader saw it and exchanged glances with Organa.

"And what was that?" He asked.

"Nothing." Bail replied, a little too quickly, "Just, clumsy." He almost cringed at his poor answer. Normally he was much better with words but there was too much at stake in this moment for him to process it properly.

Vader did not buy the Senator's answer. He strode to the other side of the office where Organa stood by the desk. The senator moved slightly with his movement as if to block him from seeing something. Coming to stand in front of him, he peered behind him slightly and saw nothing. Staring the man down, he started to walk back to where he stood before, "You are hiding something, Organa." Vader said, "I don't like to be deceived." He turned to face the man, "Pray what I find is harmless." Vader jumped slightly when he felt a weight on the end of his leg. Quickly he looked down to see a small toddler clinging to his boot with a large toothless smile grinning up at him. Vader shifted his foot slightly to gently get the girl to let go, but the move only elicited a happy laugh from the child. He is so distracted by the child he forgets Organa is in the room.

Bending over, he takes hold of the toddler's chubby arms and pulls them from around his boot before picking her up by the waist. Holding her in front of his face, the girl is still giggling and even reaches her small hands out to touch his mask. She isn't afraid of him. More importantly, she looks like _her_. The child looks like Padme. But that is just a trick of his mask and wishful thinking. Padme had brown hair and brown eyes just like the child, but brown was a very common color and Padme had died less than a year ago and the pain of her loss was still strong. Seeing Padme in her was just wishful thinking. Wishing things had been different. He knew his child had died with their mother. Palpatine had told him so. But if that were the case, why did he feel drawn to this child? As if on queue, the girl's attention diverted to the shelf behind him and a decorative piece fell to the floor before she burst into giggles again. The child was force-sensitive.

Vader lowered the child enough so he could see Bail Organa, "The girl can use the Force." He said.

"Yes." Bail answered. He couldn't deny that. There was no way to play off the decoration falling in a way that was believable.

"And her mother?"

The senator's eyes narrowed, "My wife, Queen Breha. Do you think I'd be unfaithful?"

"I never said you were the father." Vader proclaimed, "But I do find it odd that you have a child. If I recall correctly, you and your wife had been trying for a while to have a child."

"What are you implying, Vader?" Organa demanded, "Just give me my daughter, I'll ensure she doesn't bother us for the rest of your visit. And I'll permit you to do your investigation."

Vader shifted Leia in his arms so she was resting against his chest, "Your compliance is greatly appreciated. But I am most interested in this child." Vader paused as he walked to the door, "You were a close confidant to the late Senator Amidala, and if something happened to her, you would be one of the people she would trust with her child. With _my_ child." He said, pausing as he looked down at the child in his arms. She had already closed her eyes and snuggled close to his chest. No child would do such a thing unless she felt the familiarity of his Force signature. "I believe this girl is my daughter." Vader said, "And if she is, she belongs with me."

Organa narrowed his eyes at the Sith, "You will not take her." He said, "You murdered her mother! You have no claims to her, Padme trusted her to me!"

"So this is my daughter?" Vader asked.

"No, she is my daughter." Organa argued, but his breath caught on the last word as he felt the invisible hands of the force wrapping around his throat.

Vader held Organa by his throat with the Force for several moments, "Don't you dare try to lay claim to my daughter." He said before he let the man drop. Vader looked down at the girl in his arms and felt his heart warm for the first time since Padme's death. His little girl, "What is her name?" He asked.

Organa coughed as he rubbed his sore throat. Looking up, he knew he had no chance now to convince him otherwise. While he would gladly die to protect her, he knew he had to now get word to Obi-Wan that Leia was now with her father. He had failed. "Leia." Organa answered, "Her name is Leia… Padme named her."

Vader looked back down at his daughter and while no one could see it, a smile graced his face, "Leia…" He tested the name on his own. Of course she would have named her that. It was the name he picked for their little girl when he was so convinced she was carrying a daughter and she was adamant it was a boy. Looks like he won that bet. Turning his attention back to the senator, he had to figure out what to do with him. Every instinct told him to kill the man right here, right now; but as he glanced down at Leia, did he really want her to see that? Besides, was it not Organa he had to thank for brining them together? "I will spare you." Vader said, turning his attention back to the Viceroy, "I will spare you this one time because your foolhardiness is responsible for bringing us together. I warn you though, next time you misstep, I will kill you." Without waiting for a response, the Dark Lord turned with a flourish of his cloak and left, holding his daughter close to his heart.

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When Vader brought Leia aboard the Exactor he noticed how his officers gave him surprised looks when they saw the small child in his arms. If he had not been so distracted he might have made an example of them, but for the moment Leia was his only concern. The first thing he had to do was do a DNA analysis on her. While he is certain she is his, he feels he just needs the analytical confirmation; to see the results himself and let that fact sink in. fortunately medical droids ask few questions and after a small pin prick and calming the crying toddler, the results are displayed on the screen and it is just as he suspected. She is his daughter. When he looks back down at Leia, he sends her all his love through the Force and promises everything he has to her. He promises to protect her until his last breath, promises to always love her, and promises to be the father she deserves. He may have failed her mother, but he swears he will not fail his daughter and the last piece he has of Padme.

The door to the medical bay opens and Captain Piett, one of the few officers that are actually competent enters hesitantly. Standing several feet away he observes the fearsome Sith Lord slowly rocking with a toddler in his arms. Knowing Vader's temper, he ignores the child at least until the girl starts to whimper and lets out a cry. Piett watches his commanding officer try to calm the child but it doesn't work. Clearing his throat, Piett tries to get Vader's attention, "Perhaps she needs a change, sir." He suggests.

"A what?"

Piett clears his throat again, "A change, sir. Um… I think she might have uh, gone potty." He shifted awkwardly from where he stood, until this moment it was the last thing he thought he might talk to the Sith Lord about.

Vader turned his head to the captain before looking down at Leia and quickly concluding he has no idea what he is suppose to do. He doesn't even have a place for her to stay. No bed, no changing table, no toys, no food… nothing. "Captain," Vader squares his shoulders, "Arrange for the quarters next to mine to be set up for a baby girl."

"Right away, my lord." Piett bowed his head slightly.

"And…" Vader paused as he looked back down at his daughter before meeting the captain's eyes. Of all the people on his ship, Piett was the most reliable man he had and someone Vader felt he could trust, "I have a special mission for you. A classified mission that no one can know about, not even the Emperor." Vader started. Piett nodded and waited a moment for Vader to continue, "Teach me how to do this." He said, gesturing to the crying girl in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter takes place over the course of the next five years. I honestly don't know much about kids and such, and what I do know is from my very brief experience with my nephew who is just a baby and they really don't do much of anything. Getting her up to an age where she can play a bigger role in things is really what I aim to do and I do hope I gave enough details in this chapter to define her character and the effect she has on her father.

Happy reading!

-DFD

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Chapter 2

It had taken less than a day for the room adjacent to Vader's quarters to be transformed into a room fit for a little girl. The walls were painted a light pink color with several colorful animal holos on the wall; a grey toddler crib was against the right hand wall and the room had several toys and books already neatly displayed around the room. Vader was pleased with the accommodations and Leia was more than happy to start playing with her new toys.

Behind his mask Vader smiled. He could sense the child's happiness as she carried a stuffed ewok over to him. She came to sit right in front of him with the toy holding it up to him as she babbled to him, waving the toy above her head. Vader knelt before her and she pushed to toy into his large hand and clapped her hands. She wanted to play with him. Kneeling was not very comfortable for him so he shifted so he was sitting cross-legged in front of her. Staring at the toy and his smiling daughter, he tried to figure out what she wanted him to do with the doll. He can't recall ever playing with a child like this. Ever. Was he supposed to be serious? Funny? Does she even understand him? She can sense him and his feelings through the force, but could she _really_ understand him?

Gripping the toy around its torso he held it out to her, "Hello Princess." He said, wishing his voice processor could register the playful tone he wants to use when he plays with her. But Leia doesn't seem to mind, her hands clap and she bounces with joy when he spoke. "Do you like your new room?" He asked through the toy, still unsure how to play with the little girl in front of him. Leia nodded her head rapidly before she started to crawl towards him. At first he thought she was going for the ewok but she surprised him by climbing into his lap and straining up to reach for his mask. The act was innocent enough and he knew she couldn't do anything to hurt him so he leaned forward for her and she surprised him yet again as she pressed her lips to the cheek of his mask to give him a small kiss.

When he sat up straight again and looked down at his beaming daughter she gave him a wide grin. He hadn't expected that. He hadn't expected her to kiss him. When was the last time he had been kissed? He knew the answer: Mustafar. When Padme arrived and ran to him, and embraced him before pressing her lips to his. After that day, he had believed that was the last time anyone would show him affection. The last time he would hold someone with such care. The last time he would feel loved.

But now as he sits with his daughter in his lap, he is in awe at how she _knows_ who he is. How she _willingly_ shows such open affection and love. He wishes he could tell her how much this means to him, but words cannot accurately describe what he feels. He wishes she could see the smile under his mask. Pulling her into his arms once more he felt her little arms wrap around his neck and his heart melts at the sensation. The memories of his last moments with Padme flash before his eyes and he closes his eyes to fight back the pain the memories cause. Pulling back from the hug, he runs his gloved fingers through Leia's hair, "I promise you, little one: I will never hurt you, I will protect you as I should have protected your mother. This I swear to you, my daughter. I swear it by the Force and your mother's gods."

Leia obviously did not understand her father's words but she could feel the love he felt for her through their force-bond. She gripped his fingers tightly and he was more than happy to keep playing with her until he was needed on the bridge again.

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After Leia's arrival, Piett's assistance was needed more than ever as Vader tried to learn all he needed to know about raising a child. The captain had educated Vader in how to change a dipper, which was one of the easier skills to learn, but it was still something he could not wait for to be over.

He also worked on mastering the art of playing pretend with the toddler, which led to one embarrassing moment where an officer intruded on a game where Vader was sitting at a toddler's table with a purple plastic tea cup in his hand and a princess tiara on top of his helmet. Vader had subsequently eliminated the threat of that story getting around the ship by killing the man- out of Leia's sight, of course. That incident led to a new order where Piett is the only one allowed to enter Vader's and Leia's rooms if only to spare the embarrassment of a Sith Lord being seen in such an undignified situation again.

Overall, Vader adjusted very nicely to being a father. Leia adored him and he loved every second he had with her. No matter what, he made it a part of his schedule to be back in his room by bedtime so he can read her a story and tuck her in. He had tried to have Piett put her to bed once when he was working late, but that proved to be more difficult as she refused to sleep until her daddy said goodnight to her. For Vader, it told him that he was obviously doing something right, which reassured him that they would be all right, at least so long as his master remained oblivious to what he was doing.

The thought of telling his master about Leia had crossed his mind only for a moment after he met the girl. He had thought that turning her into a Sith would be a wise course of action for her. She would make a powerful Sith if he allowed it. But after he saw the blood test results, he knew he could never do that to her. She was his daughter- his princess. Training her in the ways of the Sith would take away the light that shined so much like her mother's and he could not bring himself to destroy that. Instead, he gave Piett a most important task- filling the Exactor with men he can trust to keep her safe. Men, officers, and staff who would stop at nothing to keep her safe- even from the Emperor if need be. It was a tedious task and it took weeks to finalize everything and mind trick those leaving into believing nothing out of the ordinary was happening, but once it was done, Vader felt confident in knowing he has done everything he can to keep Leia safe aboard his ship.

Padme's memory was something he had already accepted would haunt him until the end of time. Thinking of her was always painful and watching her daughter- _their_ daughter growing up without her mother hurt more than he ever wanted to admit. Leia deserved to have her mother- her brilliant, beautiful angel of a mother that he had taken away from her. One day he knew he would have to explain that day to her. He dreaded the thought that such a revelation would ruin the relationship he has with her; but at the same time it was within her rights to know the truth… when she was ready.

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"Come here, Leia. Come to daddy." Vader was crouched a few feet in front of her, his arms out stretched beckoning her to come into his waiting arms. The toddler stood on wobbly feet, holding onto the leg of a table. Vader had been playing with her after a tedious meeting and when she crawled away from him to get a new toy, he was surprised to watch her pull herself up. He had quickly responded and began to encourage her to take her first steps. "Don't be afraid, princess." He said. And with that, a concentrated look crossed her face and she pushed herself away from the table and took a hesitant step towards him, "That's it." He was smiling with pride as he watched her take another step, then another, until she stumbled into his waiting arms. Vader caught her and laughed in his mask, which came out jumbled from the voice processor and he lifted her high in the air. "You did beautifully, Leia." He praised.

She beamed at him and giggled before she put her tiny hands on the sides of his mask while he ruffled her hair. She was a fast learner. Eager to master whatever was placed in front of her. When she had a puzzle toy she would not do anything else until she solved it- or if she got frustrated she threw it across the room by way of the force. Vader scolded her for it, but as of yet she had not listened. Nevertheless, her determination is something Vader is most proud to see in her. So very much like her mother.

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As Leia slowly mastered the art of walking, her father slowly allowed her to go with him about the ship. She spent most of her time either on the bridge or the main hanger where he liked to take her to watch the flight drills. She did not share her father's love of flying, something he hoped she would grow out of someday, but he always made sure she enjoyed herself.

While Vader was on the bridge, Leia always stood on his right side, her head barely coming to the top of his boots, clutching the end of his cloak as he worked. Sometimes she hatted when he worked. His attention would be divided between her and someone else. And there was only so much tugging on his cloak can do. On one particular day, she had tried everything in her power to get her father's attention; tugging on his cloak, knocking things over with the Force; but nothing worked. Taking a deep breath she called up to him, "Dada!" The man who had been informing Vader on their progress halted his speech as they both glanced down at the child, the man more hesitatingly than the Sith lord. Leia glared up at her father, her fingers bunched in his cape, "Dada." She said again. And Vader momentarily forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Crouching down he picked her up in his arms and she started to giggle as her arms came to wrap around her father's neck.

Vader turned back to the man in front of him who was completely at a loss for what he should do. "Continue." He ordered and after stuttering a few times, the man picked up where he left on in the briefing, though Vader can't for the life of him focus; too entranced and proud that his daughter called him "Dada."

When Padme had told him she was pregnant, the idea of being a father was something that was so foreign to him he didn't really register it. Padme had a habit of calling him "Daddy" from time to time just to play with him and he only knew she was talking to him when she started to laugh at his vacant expression.

And even after Leia came into his life, it was still something that took him a long time to get used to. Referring to himself as "Daddy" took months to say without hesitation. But to actually hear Leia say it, it was surreal. It was incredible. It was a perfect moment that he had to get down to security and take the holovid of it. Waiting until the man finished speaking, he dismissed the officer and went to do just that.

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Vader knelt on the holopad before a hologram of his master. In the months since he brought Leia into his life, his ability to shield his thoughts have gotten significantly better. So far it does not seem like his master knows anything about what he is doing, but he is always careful not to make a careless slip in front of him. No matter how much his mater tortures him, he has learned not to ease up on his shielding. This meeting was exceptionally painful. The force lightning ripped through his body and he tried to suppress the cry of pain he wanted to let out. The Emperor was not pleased with his failure to find Kenobi. There had been rumors of the old Jedi on Mandelore but the lead had been a dead end. Vader listened to his master's lecture and spoke only when necessary, which was mostly just a "Yes, Master," or "My apologies, Master." He rarely had to say much when he was in this state.

When the Emperor finally dismissed him, Vader forced himself to his feet. Kneeling for long periods of time were never pleasant and they always caused him a tremendous amount of pain. It was quite obvious that the care he received after Mustafar was… subpar. His new limbs had not been fitted properly and they had not been attached with much care for his comfort. All that mattered to the Emperor was that they would work. Vader slowly made his way to his quarters before he allowed himself to fall back on to the couch. He stretched out his legs and let his head fall back and closed his eyes. The sound of the door opening followed by the sound of tiny fast paced footfalls reached his ears, alerting him to Leia's arrival. He felt the couch dip under her weight as she pulled herself up and nestled herself in the crook of his arm, resting her head against his side. Vader mentally scolded himself, as he was sure she had felt he was in pain. "I'm sorry, princess." He told her, rubbing her arm gently. He could feel how upset she was and despite the pain he was in he picked her up so she could sit on his lap. Stroking the back of her head he rocked her gently, "It's alright, Leia. I'm alright," He said, "Everything is alright." Little by little he felt Leia calm down and fall asleep in his arms. He followed suit soon after, falling into a dreamless sleep.

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Leia sat at the table glaring at her father seated across from her, the plate in front of her still half full. She had her arms crossed over her chest in the same manor her father did. The only sound in the room came from Vader's breathing apparatus. "Leia, eat your vegetables." He ordered.

The child scoffed at him, "I don't wanna." She said.

"This isn't up for debate, child. Eat them, now."

Leia glared harder at her father, "You never eat vegetables." The three year old said.

Vader let out a sigh, his daughter was his whole world but sometimes she was just difficult. It was times like these he wished he wasn't doing this alone, that he had Padme to help. She would know how to handle the child's arguments. She had years of experience debating politicians; debating against her three-year-old daughter would have been easy for her. But he didn't dwell on that thought for long, "I don't eat the same way you do. But I get the same nutritional value you get from eating vegetables. I'd rather eat that than get the nutrients the way I do." When Leia started to talk and ask questions, it was difficult to avoid giving her some answer as to why he looks the way he does and why she never sees him eat. All she knows is that he was hurt badly before she was born and is no longer able to do things normally. So far the answer is acceptable but he knows she will ask again at some point and he would need a better answer when that happens. "If you don't finish your dinner you'll be confined to your quarters without your toys."

Leia let out a whine, "But daddy-"

"No buts," Vader wagged is finger in front of her, "Finish your dinner." He pushed the plate closer to her and turned it so the fork was directly in front of her. Leia's fingers twitched as she gave a defeated sigh before reaching for the fork. She scrunched her face as she took a small bite of the green stuff on her plate, gagging as she slowly ate the rest of her meal.

"Good, Leia." Vader praised as she finished, rising to his feet and taking the empty plate, ruffling her hair as he went, sending her into a fit of giggles. He smiled at the sound of her laughter. It reminded him of how blessed he is to have her. Before he found her he thought his life was over in a way. Without Padme and without his child, his life was meaningless. After he found that she had died, he had resigned himself to living half a life. Finding Leia had changed that. It changed everything. She gave him purpose. While most would agree he was more machine than man, she was the reminder that there was still a small part of him that was human- that Anakin Skywalker was still lived inside of him. And she had him wrapped so tightly around her little finger that he didn't care.

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Five-year-old Leia stood next to her father's desk as he read through maps and reports. She didn't understand exactly what he did. Her father was always very brief when she asked about his job. Sometimes she pushed for too much and would just find some way to distract her so he could avoid answering. She didn't mind that too much, especially when it meant ice cream before dinner. But his job was not her concern now.

Piett had come back from leave a few days ago and he had told her about his three daughters. He told her how his girls had this game they liked to play where they pretended they were princesses in the forest and Piett had to rescue them from the demon tree in their yard that was really just a dead tree he had neglected to remove.

Leia had always been curious what it would be like to have a brother or a sister. Sometimes she dreamed of a blond boy she called her brother and they would play on the ship or the desert planet he called home, but beyond those dreams she had no idea what it was like to have a sibling. She loved her home on the Exactor and the crew was nice, she even considered some of them her friends like Piett and Commander Bly who had been transferred to the 501st during the crew reorganization. But none of them were her age. They were all adults and while most would stop and play with her if she asked, most had to politely decline because they were working. She wanted someone her age on the ship. But more importantly, she wanted a sister; or a brother; at this point she'll take what she can get.

Vader looked up from the star map he had displayed on the table and noticed his daughter was far to quiet. She wanted something- she was always quiet when she wanted something. "Need something?" He asked.

Leia folded her hands in front of her and stood as tall as she could, stretching her neck with her chin sticking out- the spitting image of her mother when she was saying something important in the senate, "Yes." She said before pausing a moment to collect her thoughts. Vader knew that that pause meant it was important so he deactivated the star map and gave her his undivided attention, "I want a little sister." She said.

That had not been what he thought she was going to ask, "You want a what?" He asked, hoping that his mask was malfunctioning.

"A little sister." She repeated, pausing a moment as a knit formed in her brow, "Where do you get one of those?" she asked and Vader wished there was some emergency that would pull him from this conversation so he didn't have to explain this to her. Though now that the question has been asked, he realized that in about five or eight years he will have to explain that to her.

Vader shook his head. Just because he has to talk about it someday doesn't mean he will explain it to her now. "Why?" he asked, "Why do you want a sister?"

She shrugged, "Its just that I'm the only kid on the ship and it would just be nice to have someone to play with all the time."

He could understand that. He knew Leia wanted someone around her age to play with. But what could he do to make that happen? "Leia, as much as I wish I could have some friends brought onto the ship for you, I can't." He said, "Doing so would direct unwanted attention to us and you know why that can't happen." Vader had not told her much about his master, but since she has seen what his master does to him when he fails, she knows the man is not a good man and has little reason to trust him.

"I know that. That's why I'm asking for a sister. The med droid said parents make babies. I'm asking you to make a baby."

Vader is silent for several moments as he internally panics. This is exactly what he needs Padme for. She would know what to say. She would know how to get her to drop this conversation and make sure it is never, ever brought up again. But he is alone. And he has to figure out how to tell her no without explaining anything to her. The only thing he is certain of in this moment is that once he is done here he is deactivating that droid and jettisoning it into space before firing on it and making sure there is nothing left of the droid that put him in this position.

"Leia, I can't just… make a baby." He started, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was still thinking of a way to explain this to her, but right now he was drawing a blank, "Babies… are not easy to make." He said, "There are a lot of… components and steps that need to be taken… And I just… I can't."

His daughter furrows her brow, "What do you need? I'll help."

He shook his head, "I'm afraid you can't help. Your mother could, but… she isn't here, so I'm sorry, but I can't give you a sister." He placed his hand on her shoulder, well aware that his answer will abide her for now but that she still has questions, "When you're older, I can tell you more. But you're just too young right now."

Leia nodded her head, her gaze dropping to the floor and Vader quickly pulled her to sit on his lap, tickling her sides sending her into a fit of giggles.

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Vader's shuttle landed on the planet of Kashyyyk. The planet was supposedly where he would encounter a Jedi who escaped the purges. He ignored the carnage of the battle as he stepped over bodies of wookies and imperial troopers alike to track the force signature of the Jedi. The commander of the attack had tried to talk to him and brief him on the battle but Vader didn't care. His mind focused solely on his mission as he continued to walk until he encountered the Jedi Kento Marek. Igniting his lightsaber, he attacked the Jedi. Marek was a good opponent but he wasn't good enough to beat him. Choking him with the force, he demanded to know where his master was, sensing a presence far more powerful than he.

"You killed my master long ago," He answered.

"Then now you will share his fate." Drawing his hand back he prepared to cut Kento down but before he could strike he felt his lightsaber being pulled from his grip. Turning around he had not expected to see a child holding his lightsaber. "A son…" Crushing Kento's neck in his grip, he lets the body fall to the ground. Stepping towards the boy, he reaches out for his lightsaber. Before he can reach the boy, a squad of storm troopers and their commander arrive and see the boy. Without hesitation, the troopers line up to execute the boy. Just as the first shots are fired, Vader pulls his lightsaber back into his grip and deflects the blasts back into the firing squad, killing them all.

Deactivating the blade, he approaches the boy, "Come with me." He orders. The boy seems too afraid to refuse or even question what just happened and quickly follows behind the Sith. Once they were aboard his shuttle back to the Exactor, Vader takes the time to observe the boy. He looked to be about the same age as Leia. Quiet, but that might just be because he is afraid for the moment. Vader smiles behind his mask. Just a few weeks ago had been that terribly uncomfortable conversation he had with Leia about babies and sisters. And while this child was obviously a boy, he could still easily fill that void in Leia's life. It also helped that the boy was Force sensitive. He had no idea how long the Empire would hunt for them but he knew he would not be around to protect Leia forever. This boy could possibly do it. He could keep her safe when he cannot.

After landing in the hanger, Vader led the boy up to the living area between his quarters and Leia's. She was lying down on the couch reading a holobook. When the door slid opened her head popped up and she smiled at him until she saw the boy trailing behind him. Leia put the book down on the coffee table and got to her feet, "Who's this?" She asked, a knit in her brow, her jealousy clear in the Force.

"Leia, this is…" Vader looked down at the boy and the boy looked between him and Leia, unsure how to proceed.

"Galen." He whispered, "Galen Marek."

"Why's he here?" Leia asked her father.

Vader crouched down between the two five year olds, "Galen's family is dead. He needs a new home. I know you want a playmate your own age, so this should be fine, right?"

Leia looked the boy up and down, inspecting him just as he inspects his troopers, "He's quiet." She observed.

"He was almost killed. It is natural to be a scared. I also don't have the friendliest face in the galaxy."

She turned her attention to her father and looked into the eyes of his mask. "You're not scary Daddy." She said. To her it wasn't a scary mask, but then again she had grown up with it and her opinion of him was biased since he was very different when he was around her.

"I'm glad you think so, Princess," He said, "But not everyone sees me that way."

Leia looked at Galen again and smiled at him and held out her hand, "I'm Leia." She said. Galen hesitantly shook her hand; "I have some toy ships in my room. Wanna play?" he smiled at her and the two of them ran off towards her room.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! So I am finally getting back into writing again! Really sorry for the delay! Honestly, the past couple weeks has been very difficult for me. Currently home for summer break and family troubles have made writing Vader as a good dad nearly impossible. But, being the more analytical and objective person I am, I have gotten over my problems and I am ready to get things back to normal.

I really had hoped this chapter would be longer, but with what I have drafted for chapter 4, it doesn't really... fit properly. I am thinking about a spin off for this story- one focusing more on Leia's misadventures on the ship but we'll see where that idea goes.

As always, Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 3

Vader sat in his hyperbolic chamber, tired from listening to yet another dull meeting of the admiralty. There had been whispers of a new leader among the Rebels and one who seemed to inspire a lot of faith and loyalty from the renegades, but no one seems to know who he is. So for the majority of the meeting he had to listen as the fleet commanders listed their casualties and speculations, none of which resulted in anything of value.

He could sense Leia was not happy about something and seeing as how she should be finishing up her lessons for the day, it made sense. The girl hated school. Hated how once she turned five he had forced her to sit in one of the many empty conference rooms with one of the high ranking educated officers where they would instruct her in histories, literature, mathematics, sciences, and whatever else was deemed necessary for her to learn. Her distaste for schooling seemed to become less of an issue once Galen was introduced. It wouldn't be fair of him not to make the boy suffer along side her and the boy did seem to have a calm which should level out Leia's sporadic tendencies… then again it could work the other way too.

Pressing the button on the side panel to reattach his helmet, he opened the chamber and went to the door of his quarters. He could sense Galen had been standing there for several minutes and had yet to announce himself. The boy jumped as he opened the door. "Did you need something?" He asked.

The boy was silent for several seconds and his mouth opened and closed several times, looking remarkably like a fish. "I-I just came to tell you Leia's going to be late." He said at last, "She kept playing pranks on the instructor during the lesson so he gave her some extra work." Galen stuttered over some of his words and he spoke very softly.

"I see…" Vader said. He could sense there were many questions the boy had, most pertaining to why he was here and what role he played in his household. He had thought that simply throwing him into their daily life he would catch on, but it seemed he was still unsure, and thus that explained why the boy was still afraid. "I sense you still have much on your mind." He said, trying to get the boy to speak up.

Galen nodded once, "Yes sir." He mumbled.

"Well?" Vader asked, waiting for him to elaborate. Even though he already knew what was on his mind, it was important to teach him to stand up for himself.

"Uh, well… I'm just- I've been here for over a month now, and I don't- not that I'm not grateful-"

"Stop." Vader said, "Stop being so complacent. Speak up. Ask what you want to ask."

Galen blinked at him several times before taking a breath, "What exactly am I to you?" He asked, his voice louder and more assertive than before, "You kill my father, you save me, you take me into your home and I have no idea why I'm here."

Vader smiled behind his mask at how quick he was to do as he instructed, "Quite the predicament," Vader said, "To make my intent clear, you are to be raised along side my daughter as a companion for her to trust, play with, and I imagine squabble with from time to time."

He raised a brow at him, "So I'm like her… friend?"

Vader nodded, "Exactly." He said, though by the way Galen's eyes dropped, it might not have been the right thing to say. "Did your father ever tell you what happened to the Jedi?" he asked.

"He told me you killed them." He said, "And that the Empire is hunting people like me."

"They are." He said, "And if the Empire finds out about you they will kill you. They'll kill Leia too." He said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I mean to keep my daughter safe by any means necessary. But I also want her to be happy. Living in hiding is no way for a child to live but being alone it only makes it worse. Now, at least you are in hiding together. And I will make the same promise I made Leia when she came into my life; I will protect you."

Galen nodded his head. Now knowing where they stood, it seemed neither knew what to do now. Vader could sense that despite his clarification and assurances that he was safe, the boy was still nervous around him. Situation being what it is, it was hard for him to tell how he should proceed, but he had to try something. He had to come up with a way for him to see him as less… scary. Knowing how Leia is often prone to mischief, chances are it would be at least an hour before she was let out- an hour to try to bond with this new child.

"Have you ever seen a TIE fighter up close?" He asked. And watching the boy's eyes light up, told him it was the right thing to ask.

[][][][]

The two of them were covered in grease as they sat under the TIE fighter. Vader pointed to various parts of the ships internal design and explained how it worked while also explaining the different modifications he had personally made on the design. They had completely lost track of time and it felt so great to have someone so interested in ships to talk to. Leia had sat through his explanations before, but she lacked the enthusiasm Galen clearly had from the way he listened and asked questions about the parts. When Vader looked down as he finished talking about the short-range hyperdrive, he noticed all the grease the boy had on him. Grabbing one of the grey grease rags from the workbench, he passed it to him to wipe his face off with.

"What is it?" Vader asked when he sensed the confusion in him.

"I know what I am to Leia… but I don't really know what I am to you." He said. "I mean, if you were my boss, or my master, I don't think you would let me spend my time in your family living area, or eat at your table, or spend time with me like this."

Vader wasn't sure how to respond, mainly because he had a point. When he first thought of bringing Galen onto the ship, he had seen him more as something to make Leia happy. He had not particularly thought about the long-term effect of the choice. But now here he was, faced with having to find an answer to that when he doesn't have any idea. "What do you need me to be?" He asked instead, deciding to let the boy determine what the relationship should be as he didn't want to sound too forward, nor did he want to be too restrained. Let him decide and he can move forward from there.

Galen crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ground. "On Kashyyyk, my father was training me to be a Jedi." He said, "Everyday he would teach me something about the Force and then we would meditate for hours. I hated it. I would watch the wookie children play from the window when he wasn't looking." He paused a moment, "I already have a father. But he was more of my master than my dad. I think I need a dad."

Vader is uncertain how to respond, so remains silent for several long minutes. Galen seems to have lost his voice and the light pink on his cheeks tells him he the boy is embarrassed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting Galen to look up at him, "If that's what you need me to be, then so be it." He said.

It was weird. Very weird that Galen wanted him to be his dad especially since he had been the one to kill his father. But, based on what he had said about his father, by comparison, his parenting was a little more traditional. He wanted Leia to have a childhood, which meant treating her like a child and giving her the freedom associated with that. Galen obviously had a different upbringing, one where he was taught complacency and given the responsibility and expectations of a boy much older than he was. So in a way it made sense that he seemed willing to accept him as… his dad.

Leia came up behind them not long after, a scowl on her face, "Montferrat is the worst." She said as she hopped up to sit on the workbench. "He made me stay behind and do extra math work for no reason."

"I'm sure Montferrat is going to tell me a different story." Vader said, well aware of the game she is playing.

"And he's a liar. I'm not a troublemaker, I'm a good girl."

Vader smiles behind his mask and fights back the laugh tickling the back of his throat, "You are a good girl. But between that incident with the ventilation shaft and the mess hall and countless other adventures, I have to say you are a troublemaker as well." Leia has always had an adventurous spirit. A few months back she had climbed into one of the air ducts and crawled around the ship undetected. When it was discovered she was missing, the entire crew dropped what they were doing and conducted a full sweep of the ship in search of her. She had been found hours later, giggling in a vent near the lifts, finding the entire situation hilarious. And just last week she and Galen had been playing in the mess hall when she levitated one of the crewmen's tray and thrown it across the hall. It ended up hitting the young hotheaded Lieutenant Garnet and the laughter that followed resulted in a brawl that promptly ended when Piett walked through the doors. It had been a fortunate thing Vader had been on world visiting one of the many Imperial bases at the time, as the punishment for both the children and the lieutenant would have probably been much worse than what he did do.

Leia pouted at him, "Still, I didn't do anything to deserve extra math this time."

"You weren't paying attention." Galen said, "And every time he wasn't looking you tapped him on the shoulder with the Force."

Her eyes narrowed at him, "You're no fun."

Vader shook his head, "Based on that, I do find Montferrat's punishment justified." He said, "You can't use your abilities like that," He said, pointing his finger at her, "The Force is not some toy to be played with. It is a powerful tool, one that deserves your respect."

Leia groaned, "But daddy-"

"No," Vader interrupted, "I have told you this many times and I expect you to listen. The next time you act up like this, I'm afraid math will be the least of your worries." The threat silenced her for now, but it would only be a matter of time before he had to follow through with it. Glancing at the chrono in the hanger, he hadn't realized how late it was getting. "Lets head back and get you two dinner." He said, wiping the grease of his gloves.

Leia hopped down from her perch, "Race you!" She called back to Galen, already starting to run across the hanger floor with the boy quick to chase after her. Vader heard their laughter as they almost ran into a group of pilots making their way to their ships for drills and he shook his head. Having two children running around his ship might make things more chaotic, but if they are both happy, it is worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the long delay! On the plus side, this chapter is really long by my standards so yay for that! Hoping I can keep all my future chapters this long since it is starting to get into the main plot of this story...

not sure when the next update for this story will be, but I am hoping I can pull together another chapter really soon.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 4

Vader stood on the bridge of the Exactor overlooking the planet of Naboo. He has not been back here in over ten years; not since just before the end of the Clone Wars. Back then he had gone there to spend what little time he had on leave with Padme at Varykino… Leia must have been conceived around that time. He closed his eyes to push back the bittersweet memories. He wasn't here to reminisce about days long since passed. He was here to speak with the queen about the rebel movements in the area. Naboo's rebellion had been crushed in the early days of the Empire but now the planet was starting to act up again. He had to ensure that the government was doing everything in their power to bring the insurgents under control lest they wished to insight the fury of the Empire.

"Move!" Leia shouted as she sprinted across the bridge to the window with Galen close on her heels. The officers were quick to move aside as the ten year olds passed and came to a halt on either side of the tall intimidating figure of their father. Leia, unlike her father who wore all black armor in the style of the Sith, favored light colored tunics with darker shaded tabards. She found that the color looked better on her and that lightweight clothing allowed her to move faster. Galen was like most boys and didn't particularly care for what color or style his clothes were, so long as they weren't girly. Leia had tried to get him to wear nicer clothes, but he always refused, preferring a simple grey shirt and brown pants and boots.

Leia pressed her hands against the window as she looked down at the planet below with a wide smile on her face, "This is it?" She asked, the excitement evident in her tone. She had been asking to come here for ages. Ever since he had mentioned her mother's home planet, she had wanted to see the place where her mother had been born and raised and visit the place where her parents had fallen in love. Vader had not liked to talk about it and she knew it was a difficult subject but he had shared what he could, knowing she had a right to know who her mother was and just how amazing she had been. "I can't wait to see the palace!" Leia said, "I've seen holos of it on the net but I bet its even better in person!"

"You're not going." Vader said, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to leave.

"What?" Leia ran to catch up with her father, "What do you mean I'm not going? I've wanted to come here for years!"

Vader shook his head, "You've asked but I never said we'd go. The only reason we're here is because I have work to do." Vader turned to her and pointed at the ground, "You and Galen are going to stay here on the Exactor until I get back."

Leia shook her head furiously, "No I'm not! I'm going with you! I've never been off this ship!"

"You've been off the ship. Don't be so dramatic."

Leia groaned, "Flying a TIE fighter doesn't count. I never get to go to the surface and the one time I am actually begging you-"

"You complain every time-"

"Daddy!" Leia all but shouts, her voice echoing on the bridge, "This is the one world that actually matters to me!" She points back to the window where Naboo is proudly visible, "Mom would have let me go." She argues.

"You don't know that." Vader said, "in fact, she very well could agree with me and say you're not going."

Leia furrows her brow, "This was her home. I want to see it. I want to see the waterfalls, and the palace; walk the streets my mother walked… I want to _know_ my mother." She said, "There is only so much your stories can tell me. And as much as I love those stories, I want to see those places. Please."

Vader looks at the tears brimming his daughter's eyes. Nine years and her tears still had him second-guessing his decisions. Most of the time he was able to stick to his initial plan, but sometimes he gave in to her demands. This could not be one of those times, "The answer is no and that is final." He said turning to make his way to the hanger,"Piett!" Vader called, "Make sure they stays here." He ordered. Piett nodded his head and watched as the Sith left.

Galen walked over to where Leia was standing and stuffed his hands in his pockets as Piett stood before them, his arms folded behind his back. "He's being completely unfair." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Piett glanced back to see if Vader was within earshot before turning back to the children, "Maybe just a little." He admitted, "But I'm sure he means well. Sometimes parents do crazy things to keep their children safe."

Leia shook her head, "There's no danger; I'd be with him the whole time."

Piett shrugged, "Then maybe it's just difficult for him." He said, "I know how hard it was for you to get him to even talk about your mother. Perhaps that has something to do with it." Piett looked over to see what was going on with the rest of the bridge, "Just give him more time; excuse me." With a small nod he left to return to his duties.

"He has a point." Galen said.

"Who's side are you on?" Leia rounded on him with narrowed eyes.

He gave a shrug and shifted his weight to one side, "I donno. No one's I guess. I mean, she isn't my mom so I really don't feel the same way you do about all this."

Leia rolled her eyes, "She was married to dad, that makes her your mom too, dummy."

"I don't see it that way. I never knew her so I don't even know if she'd want me"

"She would have." Leia said, "And I never knew her either, which is way we have to go to Naboo."

Galen raised a brow at her, "Please don't tell me we're going to do something I'm going to regret."

Leia smirked at him and grabbed his hand, dragging him off the bridge and down the hallways towards their living quarters. They knew the ship almost as well as the engineers. Growing up on a Star Destroyer provided ample opportunities for them to explore parts of the ship no one thought to visit. It was their home, their school, and their playground all in one and they loved it. Yet as much as she loved it, Leia always wanted more. She has always wanted to go down to a planet's surface and experience everything that she can't have living in a giant piece of welded metal. Galen didn't share her fascination, but he wasn't one to be left out of an adventure no matter how much he might complain about regretting it later.

Safely behind the locked door of her bedchambers, she explained her plan to Galen. He listened carefully and helped to point out the flaws in her plan and providing what help he could in revising them to succeed. Leia loved having Galen with her. Over the years he proved he was as much her partner in crime as she was his. And while the quarrel from time to time as siblings do, they always have the others back no matter what.

Galen let out a sigh as Leia finished reiterating the final version of her plan, "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, making sure this was what she really wanted. They haven't ever done something so big before and while he was certain of it success, at least the getting down there part, what happened after was not so certain. They were bound to be in for a massive punishment once all was said and done.

"I have to do this, Galen." She said, "With dad traveling for work as much as he does, what are the odds we'll get this chance again?"

He shook his head, "Alright, fine. When do we start?"

[][][][]

Vader watched out the window as his shuttle entered the planet's atmosphere. It didn't take long before the first waterfall came into sight, and he had to close his eyes as memories clouded his mind. The sight of the waterfall reminded him of the time he and Padme had gone to the meadow in the Lake Country once during the war. They had walked along the riverbank, talking about small, meaningless things he can't even remember… but he remembers her smile. He remembers he had said something teasingly and her eyes had narrowed at him but she had a smile on her face just before she gave him a shove and he fell in the water. He had not expected it and she had expected him to dodge so when he fell, she started laughing. He retaliated by standing up and grabbing her by the waist and falling backwards with her in his arms. He remembers how she had kissed him then. How her breath felt on his ear as she whispered something in his ear. How he had followed after her as she swam towards one of the waterfalls and went behind it. He remembered the small cave where they had stripped off their wet clothes. He remembered how she had pushed him back to stand under the waterfall with her. He remembered how they had made love under that waterfall.

Vader shook his head and forced the memories out of his mind. He couldn't think of that. Couldn't think of _her._ Not here. Not when he had work to do.

As the shuttle landed and he emerged, he saw the Queen standing only a few feet away. She bowed deeply to him as he approached, "Lord Vader, I welcome you to Theed." She said, "How might I serve our most gracious Emperor?"

[][][][]

Leia peeked out from their living quarters into the hallway, checking to see if any officers or serving droids were passing by. Seeing none, she steps out. Glancing, back she sees Galen checking as well, a hesitant look on his face. "Don't tell me you're backing out now." She whispers.

"No." He said, "I'm just wondering how you always get me to do stuff for you."

She smiled, "Because I'm the fun one. Without me your life would be terribly boring."

He rolled his eyes and walked quickly to get ahead of her "Lets just get this over with."

Leia laughed as she ran to catch up to him, "Admit it, you're just as excited as I am." She said as they carefully made their way down to the hanger. They took the long way down, making it look like it was some game they were playing to avert suspicion and ensure enough people saw them playing on the ship to make it convincing. As they neared the hanger, they brought the game to an end. They knew the ship's protocol for when in orbit over a planet well. Unlike in deep space, there is a much greater threat of attack and with that in mind, many of the TIE fighters are patrolling the nearby space and ensuring an attack from the planet does not ensue.

Galen pointed towards the new TIE Interceptor their dad had shown them the other day. It was the latest model and Galen had been dying to fly it, but being so close to Naboo, Vader had refused, promising they would take it out once his business in the sector concluded. "Let's take that one." He whispered to Leia.

"Can you even fly it?"

His eyes narrowed at her, "Of course I can fly it. The controls aren't any different from the older ones. This one is just faster and has better guns, which we won't need anyway." He said.

Leia pulled his shoulder back behind the wall as a group of three pilots walked past the door towards their ships, "We'd better hurry then." She said, pulling him behind her as she ran for the ship. Galen pulled ahead of her to be the first to climb the ladder into the cockpit, adjusting the seat and controls to his height. Leia stood on the top rung of the ladder and glanced down into the small cockpit, "Where am I supposed to sit?" She asked. They had never flown together in one fighter before. When they had been younger, Vader had taken them both up in his fighter, each of them sitting on one of his legs as he flew. But their father's ship had a slightly larger cockpit than the other fighters. And they haven't done that in a long time since he let them fly on their own now.

"Just get in." Galen hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her down before someone saw them. Leia glared at him as she shuffled to sit in front of him before closing the hatch. It was a tight fit with him so close she can feel him breathing, but fortunately they wouldn't be in it for that long. Hitting the start up button, the ship powered up. "TIE Interceptor, identify yourself. You have not been cleared fo-" Galen disabled the com system and disengaged all overrides to ensure they were not forced to land. Galen took hold of the joystick while Leia hit the switch to detach from the fuel rig. Flipping the ignition, the ship began to hover, rocking back and forth with the movement of the joystick.

"Just get on with it!" Leia hissed at Galen, knowing he was just playing with the controls.

"Relax." He said as he pushed the stick forward to leave the hanger. Leia was thrown back, her head bumping his as the ship sped off out into the open space. Galen pulled up sharply as they left, going into a spin before leveling out above the planet.

"Show off." Leia muttered as she rubbed her head. Out of the two of them, he was no doubt the better pilot. Her father had tried to teach her simple tricks so she wouldn't crash, but none have been successful so far. Vader had often said he had no idea where her skills came from since she clearly had not gotten those skills from him, and her mother had been at least decent at flying, having escaped several skirmishes all on her own.

Galen smirked at the comment, "Remember who your ride home is." He said.

"You wouldn't dare leave me. Dad would ground you until the end of time." Leia shifted her attention to the planet below, "We're really doing this…" She whispers, a smile gracing her face as she takes in the beautiful planet below. When her father finds out what they've done they were going to be in so much trouble, but none of that matters.

"If you want to go back-"

"Never. Lets go."

Galen grips the joystick in his hands and steers the ship towards the planet. They both knew flying into a planet was hard. The atmosphere and gravitational pull made controlling the speed and direction of their flight much harder than in space where they had complete control over all of that. And neither of them had any experience with flying under these conditions. Leia flipped switches while Galen pulled back on the joystick and killed the engines as the lights and alarms started to go off in the cockpit. The readout said they were coming in too hot so to counter, Galen reversed the engines and pulled back on the thruster. Slowly the readout cooled, but he had pulled back too much and the ship started to fall, triggering another alarm to go off. Leia was quickly starting to hate gravity as she pushed Galen's hand away fro, the thruster and pushed the lever forward only a little. The fighter started to move forward again but at a slower pace.

With a sigh of relief, she turned the com on and tried to make contact with a controller. "TIE Interceptor, identify yourself." Neither gave a verbal response, knowing that it would sound too obvious they were children. Instead, while Galen controlled the flight of the ship, Leia transferred the landing code she swiped from an officer just before they had left the Exactor. Leia held her breath as the code transferred, hoping it would work. Galen could sense her unease and squeezed her shoulder in a comforting gesture as they hovered waiting for a response. As they waited, Galen took the moment to look out the window. Leia had been right. The holos did not do this place any justice. The green grass, the waterfalls; it was beautiful. "TIE Interceptor, you are cleared to land at Hanger 1357." Galen let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding, releasing Leia's shoulder; he guided the ship to the landing platforms below. Each of the hangers had the number printed on the roof. Slowly, he guided the ship over every hanger until he found it and slowly brought the ship down, landing almost perfectly in the center.

Galen smirked as he killed the engine while Leia groaned at him. He loved being a show off a little too much.

"Don't say anything." Leia warned as she climbed out of the cockpit.

"I didn't say anything." He replied as he followed after her.

They left the hangers quickly to make their way to the city. Leia couldn't believe she was here. The stories her father had told her always made it sound so perfect and actually standing here, she could tell why. It was nothing like the bleak star destroyer she had grown up on. She had never seen a place so green, with so many people, so full of life. As they walked down the streets they peeked inside stores and saw so many clothes, toys and food in one place. On the Exactor they didn't really need a lot of clothes and their father wasn't known for his fashion sense and with what they were used to seeing, clothes were suppose to be more functional than pretty and were often varying shades of dark greens, greys, blacks and occasionally white. But being here, apparently that was not the case for the rest of the galaxy. In fact, everything here seemed to be made to be pleasing to look at. The colors, the materials, the patterns; there was beauty in everything from the color of the roads to the shape of the speeders.

Galen smiled at her and she returned it moments before taking off at full speed down the street, racing him to the square so they could get their bearings. They didn't have a lot of time. Their father could only stand so much politics before he grew tired of it and did as he pleased, which gave them maybe a couple hours or so to find out whatever they could about their mother. Leia glanced at Galen as they ran. He might not see her mother as his, but she did. And if her mother were still alive, she knows he would feel differently about it; after all, he did accept Vader as his dad.

Coming to a stop at the corner where the street opens up into a small square with a fountain in the center, the look down all the streets for something that can guide them. "Where to now?" Galen asked.

"Give me a minute."

He frowned at her, "We don't even know where we are, do we?" He said, "You don't even know what to look for."

Leia groaned, "I'll know it when I see it." She shot back.

"That's not very comforting, knowing we're here and you don't even know where to go. Why didn't we get a map or something?"

"If you're so smart why don't you tell me what to do?"

Galen turned towards one of the narrow streets and pointed at it, "We should go down streets like that." He said, "Dad will hear we are gone soon. And he'll send troopers looking for us. Best we stay out of wide-open spaces when we can. Besides, if your mom is so special, I imagine they should have a memorial of sorts closer to the center of the city, and the Palace is that way, so the city square shouldn't be too much farther." Leia nodded and followed after him as he led the way.

[][][][]

Vader sat in his meeting with the Queen who was adamant that she had no part in the insurgents' actions and that she would do everything in her power to suppress the conflict. Naboo had been an easy planet to control ever since the first rebellion here was defeated. In truth, the Emperor could have easily sent one of his political pawns to handle this but he wasn't about to voice that to his master, not when the rebels were slowly gaining a foothold in several systems, leaving the Emperor in an even crueler mood than normal. As the Queen pleaded her case, one of his officers entered the throne room, "Your pardon, your majesty; my lord." The man bowed his head to both of them before handing Vader a datapad.

Vader was not expecting anything, looking down curiously at the datapad, his mind raced through all possible reasons he would be interrupted. It was possible the rebels were attacking the Exactor, or there was a threat at the palace; but neither warranted this kind of interruption and neither would be relayed on a datapad. Reading the message displayed, he almost dropped it. It was a message from Piett. " Leia and Galen are missing. They are not on the Exactor."

Without a word to the Queen or the officer, he strode out of the throne room and back towards his ship. The officer was quick to catch up, "Sir, Piett is on the surface with three squadrons awaiting orders."

"Get me three more squadrons and have them fan out and find them." He ordered.

"Right away sir."

Vader cursed under his breath. He should have known she would pull something like this at some point. He had done the same thing when he had been Obi-Wan's padawan- sneaking out when his master least expected it to borrow a speeder and fly around for a couple hours or so; it was part of the reason he was rarely ever questioned when he snuck out to rendezvous with Padme during the Clone Wars.

Reaching the platform where Piett had landed he saw the troopers had already left to search the city. Piett offered rushed apologies but Vader could care less what the man said at this point, "Know this, Captain; the only reason you are still alive is because Leia favors you. Pray they are found quickly for your sake." Piett bowed his head as Vader walked past him without another word. Overhead, the second ship of troopers landed and the squadrons were quick to split and start into the city streets.

[][][][]

Leia was grateful Galen had advised they stick to the narrower streets. She had hoped they would have had more time before their father heard what they did, but it can't be helped now. Hiding in a small alleyway, they waited for a squad of troopers to run past, Galen peeked around the corner to make sure they were gone, before grabbing her hand and pulling her to follow down the opposite direction. They still haven't found out anything about her mother and they have come so far she does not intend to leave here without something to show for it. Besides, they were already in trouble what does she have to lose?

Rounding a corner they finally reach the city center. The area is clear for now, so if she wants to get to the other side now is the best time. But straight ahead in the middle of the square is a tall stain glass memorial to her mother. She knows it is her-she can _sense_ it is her. Slowly, Leia makes her way to come stand in front of it. Her mother is dressed as she had been when she was Queen- the red dress with the orange globes on the bottom and the white and red makeup that were the traditional robes of office at the time.

"That her?" Galen whispered as he came to stand beside her.

Leia said nothing as she stared at the memorial. The force let her feel so much- as if her mother were there with her. She could feel her mother's sadness and it brought tears to her eyes. Her mother had been such a strong woman when she was alive- a Queen at the age of fourteen- she defeated the Trade Federation, was loved by millions, served in the Galactic Senate, had several run ins with the droid army during the Clone Wars. And yet she had died before Leia had any memory of her. She had dreams of her- visions, according to her father. But she wanted more. She wanted a mother- _her mother_. "I miss you, Mommy." She whispered to the memorial. She knew it couldn't hear, but… it was something she had often uttered after her father told her stories about her before bed. She would only say it after her father left the room. She could sense how difficult it was for her father to tell her the stories and didn't want to make it more difficult by saying it, so Galen was the only one who knew she did. But to say it now, on her mother's home planet, in front of one of her memorials, it just felt… indescribable. This was the closest she has ever been to her and yet still so far away.

"Halt!" Leia's head shot around as she noticed the squad of troopers running her way. Galen gripped her arm and tried to pull her to run, but she pulled her arm away. Leia heaved a heavy sigh as they came to stand in front of them. The leader of the squad placed a soft hand on her shoulder, "Come on now," He said but Leia shrugged the man off as well.

"I want my father." She ordered.

"He's waiting for you near the palace, we'll take you there."

Leia shook her head, "I want him to come here himself." She crossed her arms and stared the trooper down.

The trooper nodded his head, "Com Lord Vader." The trooper ordered his comrade.

[][][][]

Vader paced the area in front of the shuttle. He had ordered four more squads to search and they were still coming up empty handed. He had half a mind to march through the streets himself- the Emperor be damned- he felt useless just standing there waiting for word; he was angry at Piett for losing them- it was tempting to kill him, but Leia liked the man so he was willing to give a second chance. He was worried- the children had been gone for a couple hours and they didn't know their way around the city and there was always the fear they would run into the rebels. Not to mention he had to come up with a story to tell the Emperor so he could keep the children hidden. Right now he was too frustrated to even think about that.

Piett came running up to him for the first time since he arrived. The man had done a good job of avoiding him; most likely afraid he would be killed on sight. So for him to willingly come over meant there was something important. "You had better have news, Captain."

The man nodded his head, "Yes My Lord; squad six has just commed. They have them in the square on the East side of the city."

"When can we expect their arrival?"

Peitt paused a moment, "Sir, she refuses to go anywhere unless you go there."

Vader rounded on the man, staring down at him. Peitt backed away slowly, "I don't have any patience for her games today. Tell them to drag them back if they must. I want them here in ten minutes."

"Sir, they're at Queen Amidala's memorial."

Vader was quiet for several moments as he considered what was being said. Leia was at her mother's memorial- why didn't he think of that in the first place? Of course she would go there. Most likely Leia was being difficult now because she was upset. Vader reached into the force searching for his daughter. He could feel her anger, her sadness; he could feel how lonely she felt… she needed her mother. But he was all she had. "Prepare my shuttle," Vader ordered. He was going to go to his daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

So far I have to say this was my favorite chapter to write. The relationships in this story are very important to me and it was really hard to try to get the dynamics right but I think I did pretty good with it.

Get ready for the feels!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 5

With the number of Storm Troopers in the city, most people have retreated to their homes leaving Leia and Galen the only ones in the entire square. They sat on the cobblestones at the base of the memorial with the six troopers flanking them on either side. They had yet to put their guards down, afraid they would run off again. They wouldn't. She doesn't have the energy to do it now and Galen won't try anything like this again unless she does. And right now she just wants her daddy to hold her and tell her everything will be all right. She doubts that he will do that- she had disobeyed him and she expected him to be angry and yell and punish them for running off like they had; but she had her reasons and he had to agree that her reasons were good, even if she went about it wrong.

The shadow of an Imperial shuttle flew overhead and slowly landed in front of the memorial. She could feel her father's presence aboard. Galen stood up quickly, his shoulders slumped in a timid gesture. Leia got to her feet too, though much slower. When the gangplank descended, Vader's intimidating presence had the troopers standing at attention. He walked right up to them and dismissed the troopers without a word, looking down at the children. Leia had her arms crossed and her eyes focused off to the side.

"Galen, go with the troopers." Vader ordered, "I'll speak with you later." He said, letting him know he wasn't off the hook.

Leia waited until her brother was on the shuttle before speaking. "Don't be so hard on Galen." She said, "I was the one who pressured him to come with. I would have come with or without him."

"I know." Vader said.

"She was beautiful." Leia said quietly.

"Yes, she was." Vader answered, looking up at the memorial, "I hated the attire she wore as queen though, it hid too much of her."

Leia shook her head, "Why did she have to die?"

Vader looks back down at Leia and feels her anger radiating in the force, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people." He says.

She looks back at the memorial, "I won't let that happen." She declares, and the way this conversation is progressing reminds him of a similar conversation he had with Padme years ago, "I will master the force and learn how to stop people from dying." Leia's gaze meets her father's, "I…I want you to train me."

Vader stared down at his daughter as he processed her desire. She wanted him to train her. He has already taught her basic force techniques so she could control it, but he has not taught her anything beyond that. Early on when he was first learning how to be a father, he had considered training her to be a Sith. Together they would be strong enough to crush the Empire and rule… but every time the thought to teach her something came up, he couldn't help but turn it into a game to make her smile. Eventually that is all it was to her- a game. Levitating toys and making them fly around the room, Leia jumping off the bed and him catching her with the force… he realized he wanted to be her father more than her master. Vader looked back at the memorial to his beloved wife; she wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want Leia to peruse the same thing he had in his youth- the same thing that cost him everything. Vader placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, "Let's go home," He said, "There is much we need to talk about."

Leia took one last glance at the memorial before she followed her father onto the shuttle. She knows one of the things they need to talk about is her running off, and he will most likely yell at her for it- she can feel how angry he is- but surprisingly yelling at her wasn't the first thing he did. Instead he stood next to her and let her start. He looked at the image of her mother, and barely said a word. She isn't sure what any of that means, but she hopes it is because he understands why she did it.

By the time they return to the Exactor, Leia is surprised to see Piett is still alive. She was afraid her father would kill him, but there he was, waiting for their arrival. Her father instructed the captain to watch Galen for a while as he placed a hand on her shoulder and led her down the corridors towards her room. The only sound she could hear was the sound of their footfalls and her father's mechanical breathing. It was strange, really; the sound of his breathing terrified practically everyone; but for her, it was calming- comforting. He had told her that when she was little she would fall asleep on his lap and wake up if he left. Even now, when she was upset all he had to do was sit with her in her room and eventually the sound of the respirator would lull her to sleep. It has that calming effect even now, though laced with trepidation at the moment. Entering her room, Leia went to sit on the edge of her bed while he leaned up against her dresser at the foot of the bed. It is silent for several moments as she waits for her father to say something.

"Leia," He starts, her eyes close waiting for him to scold her, but his voice comes out softer than she expected, "I am disappointed in you." He said, "I am disappointed that you would deliberately disobey me like you did, disappointed that you would drag Galen into this mess, though I can't say that part surprises me. I gave you specific instructions to stay on the Exactor, and what do you do? You take a TIE Interceptor and fly into a planet- which neither of you have any experience doing- while at the same time running around a city where the rebel threat is escalating." He pauses a moment, letting her actions sink in, "I know why you did it." He said, "I know that you want to know more about your mother than what I've told you…I understand that." Vader moves so he is standing right in front of Leia, crouching down he places his hand on her head, running it gently down her cheek to wipe away a tear, "Do you have any idea how worried I was?" He asks, "I was afraid something would happen to you. Afraid I would lose you. There were so many things that could have happened down there that I am relieved did not. But if they had…" Vader pauses as he tries to rein in his emotions, "If I lost you, it would kill me."

Leia looks into her father's mask. She may not be able to see his face, but she can feel him. She started to cry and threw herself into her father's arms, "I'm sorry." She cried, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

Vader holds her close to him, rocking her in his arms, "Its alright. Everything is alright." He continued to repeat soothing words to her until her tears subsided before pulling back, holding her at arms length, smoothing over her hair with his hand, "Your actions cannot go unpunished, you realize that." Leia nods her head; "I am confining you to your quarters for the next two months." He said firmly, "You will leave only when you go to your studies and for meals."

Leia's eyes went wide, "Two months?"

"Want to make it three?" Leia shakes her head no, "Galen will get off with only a month, as he was only there because of you. As for the training…" Vader starts, "The answer is no." Leia opens her mouth to protest, "My word is final. When you are older, I will tell you why. But for now, trust that I know what I am talking about." Her brow narrows at her father but he is not fazed by it, "Get some sleep. You've had a long day." Leia stays where she is, unwilling to move to get into bed, "We'll talk more in the morning," He promises.

She concedes for now and goes to her fresher to get ready for bed and comes back to her bed already turned down and her father waiting. Climbing into bed she lets him tuck her in. "Night Daddy." She whispers as he goes to the door.

"Sweet dreams, Leia."

[][][][]

Galen cracked open her door about an hour later, the light from the hall waking her from her dreamless sleep. "Hey," He whispers as he closes the door behind him and climbs on the bed with her, sitting cross-legged at the foot, "You okay?" He asked.

Leia sits up and flicks a lamp on and nods her head, "Yeah…" She says.

"How bad?" He asked.

"Two months."

Galen nods his head, "One month. But you didn't have to take the fall like that. I helped you make sure your plan didn't fail from the start, so my part in it was just as big as yours."

"I know that." She said, "But you didn't have to help. You chose to help and keeping you out of more trouble is the least I could do for you."

Galen smiled at her, "Well thanks for that." He said, "But two months?" He shook his head; "I can't imagine the great Leia lasting more than a couple days without causing trouble."

Picking up her pillow she threw it at him and hit him in the face, "Like you're one to talk. You were the one who figured out how to turn Ozzel's hot water off." The two of them giggled at the memory before falling silent. "Thank you for today." She said.

"Don't mention it."

Leia pulled her legs to her chest, "Daddy refused to train me."

Galen leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "What? Since when did you want to want to be a Sith?"

Her eyes narrow, "Not a Sith. Just enough to protect the people I care about." She corrected, "Daddy's always afraid the Emperor will find us. And if he does-"

"He won't." Galen interrupted, "Dads good. He's hid you since you were a baby, and everyone on this ship would die to keep us safe."

"But what if that isn't enough?" She asked, "Dad has one ship, the Emperor has an entire army. If it comes down to it, I want to be able to protect myself so he at least doesn't have to worry about me."

He rolled his eyes, "He always worries about us. It's part of the job description to worry."

"You know what I mean."

Galen sighs and looks at her bedspread. "I get it, but he has to have his reasons for saying no." He said with a shake of his head.

"And those reasons are?" Leia asked, eager to know what he's thinking.

Galen is silent for a while, as if unsure how she will react. "You remember what I told you about my father? Not Vader." Leia nodded once and he took a breath, "I told you how I watched Dad kill my father right in front of me. And while I have come to accept Vader as my dad, I can't deny the bad feeling I got when I first met him. His presence was just so… strong, and dark; I was terrified." He paused and met Leia's eyes, "But when he's with you, I don't feel it at all. And after staying here for a while, it started happening with me around too." He gave a shrug, "I donno for sure, but I think… I think we ground him, ya know? Like we're proof there is a good guy in there somewhere."

"He is a good guy." Leia argued.

"You never saw him as anything else." He pointed out, "To you he's always been the perfect dad. But you have to admit that to everyone else, he's this big intimidating figure that can kill them with a thought. Maybe the reason he won't train you is because he doesn't want you to be like that."

Leia takes a moment to ponder his words, and she has to admit he does have a point. "Maybe you're right." She concedes, "But is it really so bad to want to know how to defend myself?"

Galen gives a shrug, "Not really, but maybe give it some time. A lot has happened today, and I get the feeling these next two months are going to test you more than anything."

"Don't remind me," She groaned, "Lets just hope Ozzel isn't teaching us any time soon."

[][][][]

Leia and Galen exchanged pained looks as they sat next to each other at the conference table. Today Admiral Ozzel was tutoring them and he was without a doubt the worst teacher they have. The way he acts like he is superior to them in everything, and how he often rants about how his military training warrants a more dignified job than babysitting is more annoying than anything, and certainly deserving of a few pranks here and there. But she wasn't in the mood for such tricks today. It had only been a little over a week since the incident on Naboo and it was still fresh on their minds. And since their dad had his meeting with the Emperor that morning, neither were in the mood to upset him more. They had both felt the moment Vader cut them off from him and they knew the Emperor was hurting him. It didn't help matters that the previous night, Leia had reignited the fight over training, which he had shot down once again. But she was a stubborn girl and she supposes that is one of the downsides of being so much like him.

"Leia," Ozzel's tone was harsh as he directed her attention to what he was saying, "Please, try to focus." Leia nodded her head, "Now tell me, what was the outcome of the First Battle of Geonosis?"

Leia heaved a sigh; the fact that her lessons were about the Clone Wars only added to how terrible this day was going. She was constantly reading things about her mother and all the amazing things she had done and she feels so inadequate compared to her. She isn't nearly as impressive and her father seemed to be doing everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way, "The threat to Senator Amidala ended; the Chancellor was given the power to create an army for the Republic, which turned out to be a Clone Army; The Separatists began open warfare with the Republic; And the Jedi were given command as Commanders and Generals in the army."

Ozzel nodded, "Good. Now, Galen, tell me why the Republic's way of running things was inadequate compared to the Empire."

[][][][]

Vader returned to his quarters after his… conversation with the Emperor. His gate was slow as he walked and his entire body ached and burned from the punishment his master had given him. His breathing apparatus hissed with every breath and he felt his lungs not getting enough oxygen. The door to his room opened and he activated the medical droid he always had waiting for him before locking the door. He didn't want to risk the children walking in while the droid repaired his damaged life support systems. Taking a seat on a stool, he let the droid remove his chest panel so it can access the ventilator implanted in his skin. The droid set about with the repairs and Vader withstood the pain of the droid moving the implanted tubes and regulators as it replaced the parts and hooked them back up to the chest plate. As the droid finished, Vader's breathing returned to normal and he was able to breathe again.

The droid was quick to shut down after and Vader made his way to his hyperbolic chamber. Climbing inside the sphere he pressed the button to lower the top and start the flow of pure oxygen. The claw in the top of the chamber lowered and the hiss of his mask detaching echoed as it was lifted off of his head. He coughed, as he was finally alone to catch his breath. Leaning forward, Vader ran his hands along his scarred head. Closing his eyes he forced himself to relax. The worst of it is over for now. The Emperor was obviously displeased with what happened on Naboo. He had to come up with an explanation as for why he had his men running around the city. He claimed that while the Queen's involvement with the rebels was doubtful, he wanted to show the Empire's power to discourage their activity. The Emperor had not been pleased by that explanation, as he had wanted the rebels to act so they could find their main base, but at least that story protected the children from being discovered.

Looking up he caught the slight reflection of his face in the white metal of the chamber. Running his hand down his scarred cheek he tries to force memories of what he used to be out of his mind. How could he have fallen so far? Ten years ago he had been young and strong. His body had not been completely covered in third degree burn scars and he had had a full head of hair and three limbs made of flesh instead of durasteel. He had been able to breathe on his own, he had been able to run and fight with great agility. Now look at what he was reduced to. He cursed Obi-Wan every night since Mustafar. He had taken everything from him; his wife, his daughter, and his body- the man had ruined everything. Vader clenched his fist, he would pay for it soon enough.

He was brought out of his thoughts when sensed his daughter standing outside of his chambers. Pressing the button to lower the helmet back onto his head, he opened the chamber and used to force to unlock his door. Leia entered immediately and came to stand in front of the sphere. Her eyes were downcast and her hands were folded behind her back. He could sense her trying to see if he was still mad at her about her determination to be trained and while she did test his patience more than once on that matter, he could never stay mad at her for long. "Come here," He commands and Leia is quick to jump into the chamber with him and crawl into his lap. His body was still sore but he allowed it because it was always comforting to hold her. It reminds him why he would take the Emperor's torture everyday- it was for her.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She said, "It's my fault he hurt you."

Vader wrapped his arms around her, "It's not your fault, Leia," He said, "Even if it were, I would take the pain over letting that monster come anywhere near you."

Leia closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, "I want to be trained so this won't happen to you." She said, "You've protected me, and I- I want to protect you."

Vader looked down at her and sensed how serious she was about it, "You don't need to protect me." He said, using his thumb to lift her chin to look at him, "Your determination is admirable, but I decided long ago that you would not be trained. That goes for Galen as well." He said, letting go of her chin, "There was a time where I had wanted to train you, where I thought you would be my apprentice… but those dreams died when I realized I would be robbing you of a life." Vader paused as he remembered a conversation he had a long time ago, "I'd be robbing you of the life your mother dreamed for you." He said quietly. Leia was silent then and waited for her father to tell her more, "When your mother was pregnant with you, we had talked about the kind of life we would want for you. She wanted to raise you on Naboo at the lake house I told you about. And we both wanted to hide your force-sensitivity… we wanted you to be a child as long as possible."

Leia looked down as he spoke of what her parents had dreamed of for her. It was so different from how her life actually was. She has imaged what her life could have been if her mother was still alive, but it was hard to imagine something so drastically different from what she is used to. Placing her head back on her father's chest she closed her eyes, "I still want to be trained." She said, "But… I'll wait… I'll wait until I'm older- when I'm not a kid anymore."

Vader stroked the back of her head, "You'll always be my kid." He said, and Leia smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

I have rewritten this chapter about four different times trying to test different ways to write this chapter, and this one is by far the best version I have. I would have posted it sooner, but I have some big coding projects for college in the works so that took up the bulk of my would-be editing time. Hope you all enjoy it!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 6

Vader sat at the head of the conference table as the officers drowned on and on about rebel movements and how they still did not know where they were based. For the most part, these meetings are useless and just repeat what they have already known for months. He was tired of listening to them. Ever since they received word that the Rebels had a new leader the game had changed drastically. Not only were they being raided more often, but also the intelligence reports were getting shorter and shorter with each skirmish. Whoever this new player was, he was certainly a formidable foe, and he had little doubt they were a Jedi. How else would they be able to succeed so often? Regardless, there was little else he could do at this meeting and he had better things to do- a ship to run, prisoners to interrogate, and a daughter to raise. But for reasons he could care less about he had to be there to listen to the long exaggerated update on the Death Star and the completion of a hanger and the cellblock. As the meeting finally drew to a close, Vader was the first one out the door. Checking the chrono he walked as fast as he could to get back to his living quarters. _Voyages of the VSD Protector_ started soon and Leia would be angry if he missed it. The holovid was about an Imperial star destroyer and the adventures of its crew; having lived on a star destroyer her whole life, Leia found the portrayal of a life of adventure and constant battles with the Rebel Alliance comical. In ten years, she had only been in a handful of battles with the rebels and not even close to the same scale as the vid portrayed. Vader found it funny too, which was one reason why he watched it with her. The other reason was just because it was their thing. Leia did not share his love of mechanics and ships like Galen did so finding holovids they both enjoy was one way they bonded.

Vader entered the living quarters and found Leia had already set up the projector and had a droid make snacks. Galen was seated on one of the armchairs, his legs hanging over the side as he played a game on his holopad. Taking a seat on the couch, Leia was quick to join him, curling into his side with a large bowl of sweets. "You don't plan to eat that entire thing, do you?" He asked.

She shrugged, "Depends how good this episode is." She replied popping one of the treats in her mouth, "I think this time they're going to engage the rebel base and capture the treacherous moff who dared to challenge our _beloved_ Emperor," She mocked. It wouldn't be the first time she was right. The program did have a very predictable script and plot but that was one of the reasons it was so funny.

They watched the program for the allotted hour it ran and Leia could not help but laugh during the moments that were meant to be dramatic while Galen rolled his eyes at how stupid the program was, which Leia promptly threw a pillow at him for, making both of them laugh. Seeing them laugh and playfully bicker brought a smile to his face. Glancing at the chrono he realized it was getting late, "Time for bed." He declared.

"What? No!" they whined, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Don't sound so surprised, your bed time hasn't changed." He said moving to stand up, "Not to mention the fact that you're both still grounded and should have been in bed an hour ago."

Leia let out a groan, "Do I have to still be in trouble?" She asked, "I've been on my very best behavior."

Vader placed his fists on his hips, "That's not what Ozzel told me." He argued, "I was told you haven't been paying attention to your studies."

She shrugs, "He lied." She said simply, "You don't even like Ozzel. Why do you believe him over your little princess?" She flashes him the cutest smile she can muster while Galen choked back a laugh.

"Don't think that face will work on me. Now, get ready for bed, both of you." Galen was quick to hop off of the chair and go into his room as he was asked while Leia's smile is quickly replaced with a deep scowl as she lets out an irritated groan, "Leia," Vader warns.

She sighs, "Fine," getting up she hurried to get ready for bed while her father goes to tuck Galen in before coming into her room. When she comes out she climbs into bed and waits for her father to tuck her in as well.

He arrives only a minute after she pulls the sheets up to her chin. "Night, Daddy." She said.

He smoothed out the top of her hair, "Sweet dreams, Leia."

[][][][]

Leia's eyes snapped open at the sound of the shrill alarm ringing throughout the ship. Galen bursts through the door, a jacket hastily thrown over his shoulders, his eyes wide with fear, as the red lights flash across his face, "What's happening?" He asks over the alarm.

Jumping out of bed, she throws some clothes on before grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the hall, "Lets find out."

Running down the hall, they follow the sound of running footfalls and the shouting of officers and troopers, which coalesced in the main hall of the ship. Everyone was rushing to get to their stations and there were so many commands blaring over the intercom and between officers they had no way of knowing what exactly was happening.

"We're under attack aren't we?" Galen asked, "This is a lot like the last time isn't it?"

Leia remembered the last battle well, but it certainly weren't this hectic. With a groan the ship rocked hard enough she almost lost her balance and bumped into Galen who wrapped his arm around her to help keep her up. Whatever was happening, it was big and they had to get to their father who was most likely on the bridge. Grabbing Galen's hand again, they joined the fray and ran to the lifts.

"Divert power to the bridge shield!" Ozzel shouted as he paced the bridge, "Don't let anything get through."

"Ozzel!" The admiral turned sharply and saw Leia and Galen running towards him, "What is going on?" The girl was clearly afraid but she hid it well behind the furrow in her brow.

"Go back to your rooms. Everything is fine." He said, "What is the status of the hyperdrive?"

"Where is our dad?" Galen asked.

"He's joined the battle," Ozzel said, not even bothering to look at them.

"Ozzel-"

"Leia, not now." He turned to her and looked up a moment, gesturing for a squad of storm troopers to come over, "Take them back to their rooms, keep them safe." He ordered.

"You can't-" Leia started but the admiral wasn't paying them any more attention. She scowled at him, hating being ignored like this. But as she looked out the window she could see the battle raging and knew now was not the time to argue. One of the troopers put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off, turning sharply the squad of four parted to let her pass with Galen following her closely before flanking them on either side. Walking fast they started down the corridors to the lifts that would take them down to the living quarters. Galen pressed the button several times for the lift to come but it didn't. The ship suddenly shook violently and the sound of scraping metal echoed in the halls. "Lets take the long way," Galen suggests, pushing past the troopers to get to the stairs to bypass the lifts. The stairs were full of people running up and down. Apparently the lifts weren't working anymore.

Running down the steps it would take an extra ten minutes to get back to their rooms but it was better than nothing. The troopers kept pace with them as they made their way down and braced as another violent rumble nearly sends them tumbling down. The trooper behind them grabs them as extra support and hangs on until the shaking stops and they move again. Leaving the stairwell, they hear the sound of blaster fire down the hall. Leia freezes. They're on the ship. She exchanges a wide-eyed look with Galen as the troopers push them to the back as they guide them down one of the corridors. The troopers have their blasters drawn and each one keeping an eye out for the intruders.

A blaster shot from in front of them hits the trooper at the head of the right column. Leia lets out a scream as the remaining three open fire down the hall. Leia ducks behind them as Galen wraps his arm protectively around her and slowly backs away as one by one her troopers are downed. Turning Galen pulls her to run but an arm shoots out and grabs her other arm. Leia rounds on them and releases Galen's hand to punch the rebel but her hit has little effect.

"Let me go!" She cries, hitting the arm as hard as she can.

Galen rushes forward, grabbing the rebel's arm, trying to free Leia from their grip.

The rebel holds tight, and hits Galen hard over the head with the butt of her blaster. "Come with me," The rebel says in a voice that is clearly that of a woman, "I'm here to rescue you, come on." Leia ignores the woman and keeps hitting her. The woman lets out a sigh before hoisting her under her arm and carrying the flailing girl like a sack.

"Let me go!" She cries again, and again, "My Daddy will kill you!" She declared, kicking and screaming as loud as she could. The woman climbs into what was once a separatist boarding ship the pilot in the ship closes the hatches and has it retreat from the Exactor. The woman holds onto Leia as she coms the rebel battleship, "We have her. Begin the retreat."

[][][][]

Vader knew something wasn't right when he felt Galen lose consciousness and to sense Leia's distress at the same time was definitely not a good sign. The Rebels were not in full retreat despite the battle being far from over. They still had enough ships that they stood a chance of winning or at least causing considerable damage. So why were they pulling back? The Exactor was firing all forward cannons to prevent to Rebel ships from making the jump to hyperspace.

"Piett." Vader called on the com, "is Leia alright?"

"I have not seen her, sir," Came the response.

"Do you know anyone who did?"

"I did sir," Ozzel answers, "She and Galen came by earlier in the battle. Don't worry, I sent them back to their rooms with a squad of troopers to ensure their safety."

"Send someone to make sure she made it back." Vader ordered. He sensed Leia was in danger.

It only took a few moments for Piett to respond, "They aren't there, sir." The sound of choking was heard on the other side of the communication.

"Ozzel was a fool to allow them to go back without more protection." He said, "Piett, you have command now. Sweep the ship for Galen. I want every ship we have to engage the rebels immediately. They have her. They have my daughter. I want them destroyed. But more importantly, I want Leia home alive."

"Right away sir."

Vader veered his fighter sharply towards the rebel battleship. Their ships might be in retreat but there was still time. The cruisers were not in an ideal position to make the jump. Throwing the thrusters forward, he charged in firing on any ship that dared to challenge him. The rest of his fighters joined him quickly and swooped into attack formation, "Leia could be on any of the boarding ships. Disable them but don't destroy them." He ordered. His fighters banked off to either side engaging the rebels aggressively.

[][][][]

The boarding ship dodged Imperial fire by taking sharp evasive maneuvers that put the woman and Leia off balance and knocked them together more times than not. The woman would grab her to keep her from hitting her head and Leia held onto her too more out of reflex than anything else. "Get us out of here!" The woman called into the cockpit.

"We're doing the best we can!" One of them shouts back, just before pulling up in an arch. "Either they know we have the girl or they're really determined to kill us."

"Maybe both." The woman says.

Leia glares at her, "You can't keep me." She said, "My father's coming for me." She declared.

The woman meets her eyes, "So is your mother." She said, and Leia had no response, too shocked by her words to even react when the ship shook once again.

[][][][]

"Focus all fire on the engines." Vader ordered as the Rebels was almost in position. He had to stop them. He knew Leia was still in one of the boarding crafts, but he could not tell where, there was too much going on and it felt like they were deeper in the mass of rebel ships. Gunning forward, he flew into the middle of the fight, dodging missiles and baster fire with spins and quick turns. He could sense he was getting close and when his eyes landed on a Separatist boarding ship, he knew he had found her. He raced to the ship and focused on disabling the engines. He shot only when he was sure he would not hit anything else but the engines. "I found them. All fighters to me."

The rebels were in position to make the jump and while Vader and his fighters tried to disable the boarding ship, the remaining rebel fighters defended it- destroying his fighters one by one. Vader made one last attempt to disable the ship, but a shot from the side sent him spinning in the opposite direction, his shot barely skipping the surface of the ship before it made the jump to hyperspace.

Vader flicked the switches in the cockpit to try to level out again, but his stabilizers were hit, leaving him in a constant spin until the Exactor was able to pull him onboard. He was dizzy from spinning for as long as he had, but that was the least of his worries. The landing crew smartly said nothing to him and simply let him pass as he stormed towards the bridge.

By the time he reached the bridge, he had already killed three officers who dared to approach him and he wished he had kept Ozzel alive if only to make the man's death last longer and more painful as now the situation was dire with Leia now captured. Piett turned sharply when he saw Vader enter the bridge. The new admiral was quick to make his way over to him.

"My Lord, Galen is safe. We found him by the stairwell and had him sent to the medical wing. We are trying to calculate where the Rebels have disappeared to." He started, "We estimate it is a remote system, possibly Hutt space."

Vader crossed his arms over his chest. He was glad to know at least Galen was safe, but he was still worried for Leia and he would not spare a single resource to find her. "I don't want estimations, Admiral; I want accuracy. Send out ten thousand probe droids to every system."

Piett nodded, "Right away sir." He said, turning and walking quickly away to see that the probes are deployed.

Vader slowly walked across the bridge to the window. Gazing out he reached out into the force to try to sense for Leia's presence. He knew the Rebels came specifically for her- there was no other explanation he could think of considering the timing of everything. He doubted they would kill her- she was too valuable to them and if she were harmed he would obliterate them. What he couldn't figure out was what they planned to do with her then. Would they ransom her to him? If they did he would be willing to pay whatever they wanted if attack was too risky. But if they ransom her there is also a very good chance the Emperor would find out about her, and he feared what would happen when that happened.

He turned around but paused, turning his head back to the window, swearing to himself that he would find her, before turning to go to the medical wing. He could sense Galen needed him.

When he arrived at the medical wing, Galen was sitting on the edge of a bed while a droid applied a bacta patch to his head. Upon his arrival, he jumped off the bed and ran to him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Vader returned the hug, embracing the boy tightly.

"They got her." He said, "They got Leia and I couldn't stop them." His voice was muffled by his armor but he understood nonetheless.

"I know." He said, crouching and pushing him back to he could look into his face, "We're going to get her back. I promise. This wasn't your fault. I need you to understand that. This wasn't your fault."

Galen nodded, "It wasn't my fault." He whispered.

"Good." Vader said, bringing his hand to cup the side of his head, "Come, we have a lot of work ahead of us if we're going to get Leia home."

"We?"

Vader rose to his feet, "Yes, 'we'. Unless you don't want to of course, I assumed you would want to help out in whatever way you could." A smile crossed the boy's face as he eagerly took his hand and they made their way to the bridge where they would watch the probes being launched. While Vader didn't normally let the children in on his work, this was something Galen needed. He had failed to protect her and he knew how heavy that weighed on his heart and how it affected his confidence in his abilities, so having him involved, even in a small way would help restore that.

[][][][]

"My mother can't be coming after me, shes dead!" Leia shouted at the woman after the battle ended. She knew all of this had to be a trap, a way to force her to let her guard down. Her mother is dead- her father told her so, and he would never lie about that. She had even looked it up and watched footage of the funeral. It had to be a trap- a cruel trick to turn her against her father. Leia narrowed her eyes; there was no way she would ever turn against her father.

The woman shook her head, "No, her funeral was staged and she has spent these past ten years looking for you."

She narrowed her eyes at the woman, "And how would you even know that?"

Crouching down low so her face was level with Leia's she smiled at her. "I've known your mother since she was the Queen of Naboo. My name is Sabe and it has been my job to protect your mother since before you were born."

Leia stared at the woman, her eyes peering deep into hers to try and find any fault with her story. To her surprise, she couldn't. She had always been perseptive with reading people and knowing when they were lying, and yet she saw no lie in her words. Was it true? Could her mother really be alive? Or was she only seeing what she wanted to see?

The ship rattled and creaked as it attached itself to the main Rebel cruiser. Sabe placed her hand on the back of her shoulders and pushed her gently towards the exit. Hopping down onto the ship, they were greeted by several rebel pilots who were cheering, celebrating their victory against her father. Leia held her head high as she glared at them. If she was to be their prisoner, she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing Vader's daughter acting like a scared little girl. She is afraid, to be sure, but she will not let them see. Sabe leads her through the ship to a large cabin room that must belong to Sabe, as it is decorated with several holophotos that look to be of her and several other women all wearing similar robes.

Sabe stands by the vanity and Leia can feel her eyes on her as she walks around the room and looks at the images. After several minutes, it gets uncomfortable with her watching her so closely. Leia's eyes meet hers and Sabe smiles at her. "I'm sorry." She says, "It's just… you look so much like _her_ \- your mother, I mean."

Leia crosses her arms across her chest, "What do you want with me?" She asks, "And what does my mother have to do with anything? Is it a ploy to get me to cooperate? Because messing with me like this is just-"

Sabe's eyes widen and she shakes her head, holding a hand up, "No, no, no; that's not what's going on at all." She assures, "I was sent to rescue you. She trusted me to ensure you got off that ship safely."

Leia shakes her head, "My mother is dead."

Sabe shakes her head, "No. Your mother is alive." She says, "She would have been here to greet you herself, but we couldn't risk Vader sensing her."

"Why not?" Now she was confused. Her father had always told her how much he loved her mother, and how much she loved him… if she was alive, why would she want to hide from him? "Wouldn't she want to see my daddy?"

The woman's eyes widen, "Your what?" Leia raises a brow at her and Sabe is silent for several seconds as she processes what Leia had said before she shakes her head, "That… is best explained by your mother." She settles on. Leia clearly has a lot of questions, and there is a lot to explain, but she plans to leave that to Padme. Sabe walks over to the vanity and picks up a holopad, "Here," She says, handing the device to her, "It's from Padme."

Leia takes it in her hands and lets the recording play. The image of her mother flashes and she smiles at her, "Hello, Leia." The recording starts and Leia's eyes tear up, hearing her mother's voice. It is the first time she is hearing it not in some recording from a senate meeting that happened before she was born. For once, it is directed at her, for once she hears her name on her mother's lips. She never thought she would hear it. "I know all of this is confusing and terrifying, and I know so much has changed for you in such a short time… but I'm your mother. I've wanted to meet you for so long, I wish I could be there with you right now… but there are many reasons why I can't. I'm sorry, but I promise, I will be there when you land. And I will explain everything… I love you, Leia." She smiled at the message and replayed it a couple times just to savor it and take everything in… she was going to meet her mother.

[][][][]

His hyperbolic chamber is the only place he has ever been able to think without the sound of his own breathing distracting him. The silence the chamber offered was often a blessing; but right now it was the worst thing for him. The silence allowed him to think about how Leia was missing. The silence allowed him to think of every possible thing that could happen to her if she wasn't found. The silence reminded him that failing his daughter means he has failed Padme again. The silence forced him to think of Padme. Her memory haunts him everyday in the eyes of the child they made together and as painful as the memory is, he knows that the last piece of Padme and the love they shared is inside her. Losing that piece would be unbearable.

Piett has deployed all the probes he can get his hands on but every hour he hears nothing, the more anxious he feels. Galen is equally worried and while he doesn't know much about what the Rebels could do to prisoners, the fear of the unknown is still terrifying and so he stays on the bridge with Peitt as long as he can. The new Admrial seems to be well aware of both of their fears and anxieties and so provides them with hourly updates to show every possible effort is being made to get Leia back. But that isn't enough anymore. Vader picks up a datapad and sifts through some of the data he has stored on it. The Exactor is a great ship, it is big, fast and strikes fear into his enemies. But he needs something better. He needs something that will make anyone think twice before challenging him again. Vader opens a file that has plans for a star destroyer he has in the works. The ship started construction a little over a year ago, it will be the largest star destroyer ever built and he had hoped that it would be their new home when it was finished. Leia had often talked about how she knew the Exactor from top to bottom and that it was not fun to explore anymore. This ship was so massive he hoped she would find it a nice change. He even went so far as to have several recreation rooms built into their living quarters so she and Galen would always have a place to do whatever they wanted. But all that work would be for nothing if Leia was hurt. He needs that ship now.

Donning his mask, he turns in his chair so he can access the com unit, "Piett." Vader says when the Admiral's face pops up on screen, "contact Kuat Drive Yards. Tell them I want the Executor finished as soon as possible."


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! The long awaited Chapter 7 is finally here! This was not an easy chapter to write because I really wanted to do the story and characters justice with the interactions. And just to defend my reasoning behind Vader's actions here, It is important to note he has to do what he can to make sure Galen is okay as well and to remind him where he stands in the family.

I greatly lengthened this chapter with everything I included because I think it was really important for these things to be in the same chapter. No idea when the next chapter will be, but hopefully soon if programing in Unity doesn't kill me!

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 7

Leia stood near the window as the Mon Calamari cruiser slowly descended onto the planet of Yavin IV. Her eyes were focused on the crowd of people standing near the mouth of the massive temple. She was eager to see her mother for the first time and she refused to take her eyes off the crowd as she scanned every face looking for hers. She has never been this nervous before and the feeling twists knots in the pit of her stomach as the faces slowly became more detailed. Sabe placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to try and pry her from the window, but she was reluctant to do so, almost afraid if she moved away she would miss the first glimpse of her mother. The ship let out a long groan as the gangplanks connected with the air hatches and the locking mechanisms grounded the ship. The doors hissed as puffs of warm air were shot out of the joints of the hatch before the doors opened, flooding the hall with the bright light of the planet. Leia's face stayed pressed to the window for a moment before pulling away and letting Sabe lead her off the ship. Her eyes squinted as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the rays of light, pausing a moment to let her eyes adjust before slowly walking down the ramp. The crowd of people was already on the move as small groups slowly greeted old friends and others moved to work on the ship.

Sabe squeezed her shoulder, "She's here." She said, "She wouldn't miss this for anything."

Leia wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe her mother was somewhere in the crowd but after believing her dead for all her life, the thought of meeting her was terrifying. Would she even like her? What if she meets her and she expects something else? Her father had always told her that her mother loved and missed her. But if that were the case, why didn't she want to be with her and her father? She had so many questions and she was almost afraid of the answers.

Just as they reached the last ramp, Sabe stops her with a tap on her shoulder. Leia turned her head to her, and watched as she pointed straight ahead. Her eyes followed where the finger was pointed and her eyes fell on a beautiful woman with brown hair tied in a tight bun. She stood in the center of the mass, a large smile on her face and tears welling in her eyes. When their eyes met, the woman raised a hand in greeting, and Leia bolted straight for her. The woman lowered herself to the ground as Leia collided hard with her, tears falling from both their faces as they relish their long awaited meeting.

"Leia…" She whispers into her hair, "My sweet Leia; my baby." She cried, pulling back and holding her face gently in her hands. "Look at you, You look so much like I did at your age." She smiled as she stroked her cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"Mom…" Leia started, "I-I never thought I'd ever meet you."

Padme smiled as she wiped away more tears from her daughter's face, "I'm here now, and I promise we'll never be parted again." Pulling her back to her, they embraced tightly, the rest of the world fading away as they took in every detail they could.

Leia buried her face in her mother's shoulder, inhaling her sweet scent and committing it to memory lest she wake up and find this was all just a dream.

Eventually they did have to pull back. The Rebels were unloading damaged ground assault weapons and needed the space to move them around. Padme took Leia by the hand and led her into the temple to where they had set up the mess hall. They held onto each others hands tightly, glancing at the other every once in a while. There was so much they both wanted to say, so much they both wanted to ask but neither were certain how to start.

Even Padme for all her political experience had no idea how to approach this properly. She has been dreaming of this day for the past ten years and now that it was here, she was at a loss for what to say. Fortunately once they were in the mess hall the buffet of food kept them occupied long enough to come up with a place to start. They took a seat near the center of the room sitting across from one another. Padme watched as Leia dug into her tray of food as if she hadn't eaten in days. She knew that wasn't the case but she knew the food on the Mon Calamari ships were… less than desirable.

"So…" Padme started, waiting for Leia to perk her head up, "Tell me about yourself. I want to know everything."

Leia smiled at her mother and swallowed, "Well, to start I've lived on the Exactor all my life. Galen and I know the ship almost as well as the engineers-"

"Galen?" Padme asked, her brow knitted in confusion.

"Oh, right. You don't know about him. He's my brother. Anyways, we have these secret rooms that only we know about where we…"

Padme was only half listening as she spoke about the things she does with Galen. She knows what she is saying, but once she said 'brother' her attention became divided. Vader had a son. He had a son with another woman. And for some reason that infuriated her. The thought that the man who had claimed to love her more than anything would sire a child with someone else- despite how he believed her dead- sparked a jealously she had not thought she would feel. Padme had spent the past decade morning the man her husband had been and cursing the monster he had become, so the feelings she felt at the mention of a son, felt so wrong to her.

"So while he and Daddy are messing around in the hangers, I normally just hang out on the bridge with Piett. He's a lot better than Ozzel who is just the most annoying Admiral in the entire fleet."

Padme blinked several times as she tried to connect the term 'Daddy' to the monster Vader is. She had not known Vader had actually taken her as his daughter- she knew it was a possibility- but she had always assumed he had taken her to train as his apprentice to help him overthrow the Emperor. He had made the same promise to her the last time she had seen him and as the years passed, it seemed to be the most likely scenario. But the way Leia talked about him, as if he were the perfect father… it made her think about the kind of father she had thought Anakin would have been if things had been different.

She smiled as Leia finished her story about this Piett character she seemed fond of. "Now you have to tell me about you." Leia said, "What was your childhood like? What was it like being a Queen and a senator? What about the Clone Wars? I want to know everything."

"It sounds like you already know quite a bit." She said, a little taken aback at how much the child already knew.

Leia gave a shrug, "Daddy told me." She said simply, "It took a long time to get him to talk about you, and it was really hard most of the time, but he did because he says I have a right to know who my mother was- or is, is the right thing to say now, I guess."

Padme smiled at her daughter, and pushed her finished tray aside, "Alright." She said, leaning forward, "I was born on Naboo and I have an older sister named Sola…"

They spent the entire day talking. Leia had been amazed at hearing the stories her mother told her about the Naboo Blockade. Her father had told her the story several times but for what had happened in the palace he had only what others had told him at the time. To hear the same story but told from the perspective of the brave Queen who had led the attack was a dream come true for her. To know that her mother had united the Naboo with the Gungans and led a small force against a droid army to retake the capital was beyond amazing.

Leia had not missed how her mother dodged mention of her father. She could sense her discomfort with some memories but she couldn't figure out why. Instead it conjures more questions about the enigma that is her parent's relationship.

[][][][]

"Is that really the time?" Padme said as she glanced at the chrono hanging on the back wall of the mess hall. "We'd best turn in for the night. As much as I wish I had more time off to spend with you, there is still a war to win." She said as she stood and took Leia by the hand and started walking towards her living quarters.

"What exactly is it that you do you do?" Leia asked as they walked.

Padme smiled, "When I was Senator of Naboo, I was one of Palpatine's most vocal opponents. I work with the other Rebel founders to come up with plans to return the Empire to the Republic it once was."

"Why?" Leia asked, "The Republic failed so badly because people didn't agree and nothing got done. Under an Empire with someone making decisive decisions based on the needs of the people more can be accomplished in less time."

A knit formed in Padme's brow as she listened to her daughter's words. Apparently Vader had taken it upon himself to educate her based on Imperial standards. "Forcing things to happen like that isn't the best way for a government to be run. The Empire is more of a dictatorship than anything and that means the people are forgotten as whoever is a part of the politics of it are more focused on pleasing the man who can give them what they want rather than what he can give the people they are meant to serve."

Leia gave a shrug, "I didn't say the current emperor is any good. I just think the system works better than the one before."

Padme shook her head, "You're too young to remember what the Republic was like. But when I was a child, it worked and it worked very well. People were given the care they needed by the government, and there was peace."

"Until the Separatists proved that it didn't."

"And who taught you that?" Padme asked, confused that her daughter, who had been educated by Vader, who has never been one with an interest in politics could have spent so much time teaching her such things.

"I don't remember." Leia said, "Might have been Ozzel but it could have also been Montferrat. I doubt it was Piett though. Piett doesn't give us history lessons as often as the others. He teaches us more about literature."

Padme raised a brow at the names she listed. She had expected her to say it was Vader, but it wasn't. "And those people are…?"

"Daddy's officers." Leia said simply, "Piett is the only one Galen and I actually like though. He's not boring like the others. I think thats because they're trying to get on Daddy's good side but Piett has been his friend for years so he doesn't even have to try to impress him anymore."

While she was relieved Vader wasn't the one responsible for instilling her with her political beliefs, she still worries what else she has been taught. She should have gotten to her sooner. She should have forced the Rebels to focus their attention on Vader the moment Bail told her what happened to Leia. She should not have let them convince her that random strikes on Imperial ships and bases would bring him to them. The only reason Leia was here now was because of the sighting on Naboo. It gave them a clear trajectory for where they would be and thus gave her the opportunity to get to her.

Padme opened the door to one of the living quarter rooms on the third level. In the far corner of the room two twin size beds were already set up sitting along adjacent walls. At the foot of the bed on the back wall was a desk with a computer terminal and several datadisks laid out across the surface. On the wall where the door was positioned sat a small vanity with several holos sitting just below a mirror. "I know it isn't much," Padme started, "But unfortunately with things being the way they are I don't have the same luxuries I once had before the war."

Leia walked over to the vanity and looked at the images displayed. There was one of an older couple, who she assumed must be her grandmother based on how similar she looks to her mother, and there was another of another couple and two little girls.

"That's my sister, Sola- your aunt." Padme explained when she noticed her looking at the holos, "I haven't seen them in over a decade." She said.

"Do you have any of my dad?" She asked, "Before the mask I mean."

Padme diverted her gaze to the one of her on the beach of Varykino. She did have some images of him. Holos she had kept locked away because seeing the good man he once was brought back painfully happy memories before they would twist into the nightmare on Mustafar. She still dreamed about it sometimes, and she would sometimes wake from them and weep for everything she had lost that day. "No." She lied, "Not any more."

"Why not?"

She sighed "When the Empire was formed I had to disappear. I couldn't take them." It was mostly true, the holos she did have had been brought to her by her handmaidens who had been left to handle what remained of her estate once she was pronounced dead. Out of the several handmaidens that had been in her employ, only two had known the truth so as they cleaned out her old apartment they had taken the liberty to secure some of her belongings that had monetary value as well as sentimental- her holos among those.

"What did he look like?" She asked, "I've never seen his face so I don't even know what color his eyes are. Or even what he sounds like."

Padme closed her eyes and took a breath. This was much harder than she thought it would be. This entire situation was not what she expected. For the past ten years she had worked hard to convince herself that Anakin, the man she loved, was dead- that Vader could never love anyone, that he was not Anakin. And yet with everything Leia had said, and the way she calls him 'Daddy' and how she tries to get more information about his past; it takes the wall she built between Anakin and Vader and puts a massive hole in it. It gives her hope that her Ani is still in there somewhere but that hope is dangerous. It leaves her open to another heartbreak and she can't go through that again. "He has blond hair." She said after a moment, "He has these piercing blue eyes that show the depth of his emotions. They would light up when he was happy. And his smile…" Padme paused as a bittersweet smile crossed her own lips, "I lived for his smile. It was hard to come by when the Clone Wars were going on, but when he did, it was just… perfect."

Leia smiled at her mother's description of her father. She always wished she could see his face- his real face. Whenever she thinks of him she sees his mask and hears his breathing and as comforting as it is to her, she always wondered what was under there but never voiced it knowing how much his physical injuries bother him. It is one of those topics that everyone knows not to talk about. Leia let out a yawn and her mother directed her to one of the beds where she tucked her in and kissed her head goodnight. Leia smiled feeling her mother's lips on her head. It was the first time some one kissed her and she hoped that it would not be the last.

[][][][]

The airlock blew open with a blinding flash of light and smoke that covered the invasion of the storm troopers as they boarded the Rebel ship one by one. Some of the troopers fell the moment they stepped through the airlock, forcing those behind to step over the motionless body, but even then they returned fire rapidly and as accurately as they could. It took several minutes for the Rebels to pull back and once they were gone, Darth Vader stepped through. He took one glance at the fallen storm troopers and Rebels before walking ahead down the corridor in search of the remaining crew.

A squad of four troopers approached him, a Rebel in shackles between them. The man's eyes were wide as he looked upon Vader's mask. He was terrified. And rightfully so. Leia had been missing for over a month now and with every dead end lead he had, the more likely it was for prisoners and crew members to suffer. And if it wasn't for Galen clinging to him almost everywhere he went, Vader was certain there would be more vacancies on his new ship, the Executor. It was by far the largest Star Destroyer in the entire fleet its size second to none and packs enough power to knock any Rebel who dare attack out of the stars.

"You in command of this ship?" Vader asked the prisoner.

The man remained silent.

Vader clenched his fist, and nodded at the trooper on the left who raised his blaster high and brought it down hard on the Rebel's head. "Yes." He grunted.

"You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor to the Empire."

The man glared up at him, "And you and the Emperor are traitors to the Republic." He declared before being hit across his head once again, falling to his knees this time from the impact.

Vader let the slight pass for the moment. "Tell me where your base is." He ordered, "That is all I want to know."

"And what makes you think I'll tell you?" The man demanded, "I will never betray the Alliance to you. I'd rather die."

Vader raise his hand and squeezed, "That can be arranged." Vader said as he reached out with the force for his throat. The troopers backed up as their leader lifted the man up by his throat. The Rebel's hands flew to his throat as he gasps, "Tell me where you are hiding." He demands once again. The man resists and Vader grips harder until an audible crack and a gasp escape the Rebel as his eyes go wide before falling limp.

Vader growls and throws the body down the hall. "Interrogate every Rebel on the ship. Use any means necessary. Find where their base is." He ordered not even waiting for a response before he turned and strode down the hall of the ship in search of someone who would cooperate. There was bound to be someone here who was willing to talk.

[][][][]

Vader stood in the detention block of the Executor surrounded by the five fallen bodies of the Rebels they had brought on board. Piett walked quickly down the block towards him, his hands folded behind his back. "Sir," He started, his breath heavy as if he had run all the way here from the bridge, "The Emperor demands you make contact with him immediately." Vader turned back to the last Rebel sitting in the last remaining chair in the room. Their eyes met and she did not look away like the others.

"Where is your base?" He demanded.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she boldly spat at his boot, the spit landing just on the tip of the leather of the boot. With the flick of his wrist, he used the force to quickly snap her neck to the side before she fell to the ground dead. "Find me another ship." Vader ordered the Admiral as he left towards his quarters to make contact with his master.

As he walked, his mind raced with possible reasons the Emperor needed to speak with him. Perhaps he was disappointed he was neglecting his duties but given the situation he didn't have much choice. And any punishment he received was well worth it in this case. Or perhaps the Rebels had ransomed Leia to the Emperor, in which case it would not bode well for him. Or maybe he had been sloppy and given her away as well. Each scenario he came up with on the way was worse than the last and for the first time in a long time, he was afraid to speak to his master.

Entering his room, he locked the door before approaching the holopad and kneeling with his head bowed. Clearing his mind, he only had to wait a moment before the hologram of the Emperor appeared before him. "What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader greeted.

"Lord Vader." Palpatine returned, "I must say, I was rather surprised to hear that you are hunting Rebels at such a fast pace." He said, "Your determination to find them is… commendable. What has gotten you so… desperate to find them, I wonder?"

"The Rebels attacked my ship over a month ago." He said, "They bested me and escaped. I don't want to give them the idea that I am no longer a threat. They must be reminded of the power of the Dark Side." Vader responded.

Palpatine smiled a wide yellow smile, "Is that so?" He asked, "I thought it might have been something else. Something relating to what happened back on Naboo."

Vader tensed at the mention of the planet, "I assure you that is not so."

"Really? Am I to believe that when you have been acting strange ever since that day?" The Emperor was playing a game with him, Vader knew he was waiting for him to slip up. But he wouldn't this time. "Something happened there that day, that much I am certain. And I believe it has something to do with your whore of a wife."

Vader held his tongue as his master spoke. He hated listening to him talk that way about Padme, but he was powerless to do anything to stop him. To defy him is punishable and if he wants to keep Leia a secret, he had learned not to speak. "She betrayed me. She means nothing to me." He said.

Palpatine shook his head, "You should know better than to lie to me, Lord Vader." A shock of lightning coursed through Vader's body as his master finished speaking. "You do still care about her." He said as he sent another shock through him, "You still love her even though you were the one to kill her."

Vader fell forward onto his hands as more lighting struck him. He kept his mental shields up the entire time, trying to keep his master from discovering the truth. "Forgive me, master." Vader begged as the shocks ripped through him.

"A Sith knows nothing of love." Palpatine lectured, "There is something more to this hunt of yours. I want to know what that is."

Vader took a moment to collect himself. What does he say? What can he say? The Emperor demands an answer and there is no way for him to avoid it this time. "Kenobi." He said suddenly, "I heard the name Kenobi while I was on Naboo."

Palpatine smiled again, "Ah, now I see… you want to make him pay for what he did to you."

Vader nodded, "Yes."

The Emperor nodded, "Very well then, Lord Vader. Continue your search. I wish you the best on your hunt."

The transmission cut and Vader allowed himself to fall forward. His body quaked from the pain and his mind was utterly exhausted from trying to keep him out of his thoughts. He had his doubts the Emperor believed him, but he couldn't worry about that now. Struggling to his feet, Vader leaves his quarters and heads towards the hanger. He promised Galen they would go flying today. The stress of constantly worrying about Leia was taking its toll on both of them. And as much as he wanted to not rest until she was found, he had to give Galen equal attention if only to reassure the boy that it was not his fault she was gone. It isn't easy trying to give the boy some happy memories in this dark time in their lives, but he tries.

When he reaches the hanger, Galen is sitting on a workbench watching the TIE fighters take off and land. His hands twist a grease rag as his legs swing gently over the side of the bench. His head turns when he hears Vader.

"Excited to run a few drills today?" Vader asked. He had made sure the fighters they were taking had live ammo in them so they could hit some dummy targets today. Galen had always said he wanted to try shooting and today was the day he was going to teach him.

Galen gave a shrug, "I guess…"

Vader pulled a stool over and sat in front of him, "What is it?"

The boy's eyes fell to his feet, "Leia and I wanted to learn to shoot together." He said, "We had this bet to see who could shoot with the most accuracy. The loser had to do the other's homework for a week."

Vader nodded in understanding, "If you want to wait, we can. We can just fly around for awhile if you want."

Galen shook his head, "I just want to get Leia back."

Vader placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Look at me," He said, waiting for him to pick his head up, "I miss her too. I worry about her and I would give anything to have her home." He said, "We are doing everything we can to see that it happens and while we wait for results, we must do what we can to not drive ourselves mad over it."

"I guess…" Galen said, his head dropping to look at his feet again, "Its just… This is the longest I've gone without her antics."

"Yes, it has been rather quiet around here." Vader said in agreement, "Perhaps, we should save flying for another day."

Galen looks up with a confused look on his face, "I thought you said we can't focus on finding Leia all the time."

Vader nodded, "I did. And I was thinking we could do something else."

"What did you have in mind?"

He shrugged, "Well, I know you don't particularly like Lieutenant Katarn. Why don't we have a little fun with him."

"Really? You?" Galen asked, surprised he would actually encourage trouble.

Vader nodded, "Of course, where do you think Leia got her knack for mischief?"

With a wide smile, Galen hopped off the workbench, "Where do we start?"

[][][][]

Lieutenant Katarn was one of the most arrogant officers Galen had ever had the misfortune of meeting. He spoke to him as though he was not even worthy of breathing the same air as him. He was like that with everyone- everyone but Vader who the man was obsessed with trying to please. And with that in mind, father and son set out on the quest to make the man's life miserable. It started small- there was an officers meeting starting soon and all across the intercom, Katarn was summoned to one sector than another, then another. Every time he came to a new sector, he asked what was needed, no one had an answer. And by the time he stopped looking, he was already late for the meeting, which Piett, who also dislikes the lieutenant, lectured him on his tardiness.

Galen laughed as the two of them watched the scene from the security room. Seeing the man get what he deserved was a good feeling and knowing this was his father's idea made him even happier. "I have another idea if your interested." Vader offered. And who was Galen to refuse? The two of them walked to his quarters where he pulled out one of his black capes. Draping it over his arm, they made their way down to the laundry level. Giving it to a laundry droid, Vader ordered it to shrink the cape significantly. The droid was hesitant to do so, but reluctantly did as it was bid. By the time it was done, the cape was small enough that the shoulders of it couldn't cover Vader's broad shoulders.

Deactivating the droid, they left the cape on the level before heading back to his quarters where he commed Katarn with the order to retrieve his cape. As odd as the order might seem, no one would ever question Vader when an order was given. And Katarn was no exception. Vader and Galen waited in his quarters for the man to arrive but it took much longer than it should. Galen smiled as he imagined the look on his face when he saw what became of the cape.

When a knock on the door finally came, Galen had to cover his mouth as his father moved to answer it. From the back of the room, he watched as the lieutenant stuttered over his words, trying to explain his tardieness.

"I care not for excuses, Lieutenant." Vader said, "When I order something, I expect it to be done with hast. Now, where is it?"

Katarn bowed his head and handed him the cape. Vader held it up for inspection and noticed how the man before him shook and sweated, nervous for his superior's reaction. "What have you done?" Vader demanded.

"It-It wasn't me!" Katarn argued, "It was like that when I got there, I swear, my lord! I would never-"

"Silence." Vader ordered, "I give you a simple order and you can't even follow that? How you became a lieutenant I will never know!"

"I will fix this, my lord, you have my word."

"Your word." He sneered, "Your word is as good as sand on Tatooine- meaningless. Get out of my sight." The Lieutenant bowed his head and quickly departed before Vader decided his offense was worthy of being executed for.

When the door shut, Galen broke out in hysterical laughter, which brought a smile to Vader's face. This is what the boy needed and knowing he had been able to cheer him up pleased him. He can't recall the last time he had participated in such childish antics and he reasoned it must have been long ago during the Clone Wars. Vader surprised himself. Even after all these years, he is still capable of being a prankster.

His com let out a series of beeps signaling the bridge was calling him. Galen quieted himself as Vader moved to answer. "What is it, Admiral?"

"We have another Rebel ship in our sights, my lord." Piett said. "We are engaging it now."

"Very good. I shall be in the hanger awaiting its capture." He said, closing the communication and turing his attention to Galen.

"Thanks, Dad." He said, "I had a lot of fun."

Vader nodded, "I'm glad." He said before holding a finger to where his mouth would be, "But not a word of this to anyone. It's our secret." He said. And Galen nodded, giving him a salute before following his father out of the room before they turned and headed in opposite directions.


	8. Chapter 8

I finally got around to updating this story! So sorry for the delay but I have been swamped with all the projects I have for college and I have been on the verge of insanity for the past few weeks. On the plus side, I've found some time to work on all my in progress stories and I even started the sequel to Between You and and OR, I'll Take the OR. Super excited for that one and that might be my next update if I don't get Not the Boy You Used to Know updated. In short, my inspiration has come in quick bursts that change everyday.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 8

Padme sat in the meeting listening to the recent reports from the ship crew members who did manage to return to them. In the past month the attacks by Vader's fleet have increased tenfold. There was little doubt it was because of Leia, and that has caused a rift among the leadership. Mon Mothma and General Dodonna were of a mind to let Leia go. Clearly her presence is drawing too much attention to them and has caused catastrophic damage to the fleet. Bail, on the other hand, saw the threat Leia could pose to the Empire should she be shown the good the Rebels were doing. Turing daughter against father could potentially lead to the downfall of the Empire's mad dog. Padme was obviously biased in this argument. Leia is her daughter and as much as she appreciates Bail's support for keeping Leia, she dreaded the thought of letting Leia come anywhere close to the conflict.

The meeting dragged on longer than normal as the leaders bickered over what they would do next. There were proposals ranging from nothing to launching a full scale strike on Vader's new Super Star Destroyer. The Executor was living up to its name with the number of Rebels it has already killed, and it was an ever growing number. Padme sat quietly as they argued, knowing that at the moment tensions were high and with Bail not present it made most of her points null because of her personal connection to these events. Mon doesn't hold it against her, as their political relationship from the Clone Wars meant she at least had a better understanding of the person Padme Amidala really is. Dodonna on the other hand knew little about her and thus mistrusted her judgement. The meeting quickly drew to a close, with almost nothing decided, leaving much of this to tomorrow's meeting.

Padme heaved a sigh as she left the room, tired from all the fighting and tired of feeling as though everyone blamed her for what was happening. And the irony in that is if they were in her shoes they would have done the same thing she did. A real parent would go to the ends of the universe for their child, war or no war.

In the month since Leia's arrival, Padme had spent every moment she could spare with her. Leia proved to be just as adventurous and daring as her father- something that would bring a bittersweet smile to her lips as it brought back the dreams she had early on in her pregnancy. Dreams of what could have been had everything not gone so terribly wrong. Anakin would have been an amazing father. She had always dreamed of one day returning to the Lake House where they would be surrounded by their children and the galaxy finally at peace; but instead that dream turned into the nightmare it is now. Her husband is gone, her Republic is dead, and her children are separated.

Every time she thinks about her son, she has to stop herself and take a breath while also trying to form a mental block to ensure Leia doesn't try to pry- something her father was known for doing from time to time. Padme didn't want to tell Leia about her brother- not yet at least. Telling her now would only spark too many questions, most of which she doesn't have an answer for. The twin's labor had been particularly hard on her body both physically and emotionally. The induced labor, the trauma from what happened on Mustafar, it was too much and everyone believed she would die from it- and she had. She had been medically dead for about forty-five minutes before she started to breathe again. But by that point, the twins had already been separated and she ended up stuck in a coma.

When she finally did wake up months later, the medical team was shocked. To be dead as long as she was, they didn't expect her to come back, and when she did and ended up in a coma, no one expected her to wake up. And yet she had. It took several more weeks before she was deemed medically healthy and by that point Leia was already with Vader and Luke was no longer on Tatooine, where Bail told her he had been taken. She had no idea where to find Luke then and even now she still doesn't.

Padme entered the quarters she shares with Leia to find the girl sitting by the small window by the desk. She had a pensive look on her face as her eyes were locked on something outside. "What are you looking at?" She asked as she came further into the room.

Leia turned her attention to her mother for a moment before her gaze fell to the floor, "Nothing." She said, standing and moving over to her bed. Leaning back agains the pillows, she tucks her knees into her chest.

"I know that's not true." Padme said, coming to sit on the end and placing a hand on her knee, "Talk to me," She gave Leia a loving smile to try and encourage her to talk.

Leia let out a sigh, "You won't like it."

"Tell me anyway." She said, "And know that no matter what it is, I will always love you."

She is silent for a moment before she sighs again, "I miss Daddy." She said, "And I know you don't like him. I can feel how upset you get when I talk about him."

Padme is at a loss for words. "That's not true…" She said.

"I know you're lying."

Padme lets out a sigh this time, "Leia-"

"Why don't you like him?" She interrupted, "Why doesn't anyone here like him? I know I shouldn't- Daddy told me not to peek into peoples minds, but I couldn't help myself. Everyone gives me these weird looks… and its because they don't like Daddy. And I don't know why."

She listens to Leia's words carefully, what can she say? Leia doesn't know what her father does or has done, and to tell her the truth, is much too harsh for a child and it risks ruining the relationship she is trying to foster with her daughter. "Leia…" Padme starts again, "Your father… He wasn't always the man he is now-"

"I know, he had an accident-"

She shook her head, "I-I'm not talking about that. While I'm sure that didn't help, you father… he-he was different before you were born- better even. But… that man is gone. He _changed_ , Leia. He became a man that I… That many people live in fear of."

Leia looks into her mother's eyes and Padme is sure she can see how difficult all this is to talk about. "You're not."

She shook her head, "No."

"But you still hate him."

"I don't hate him." She said, shaking her head again, "But I can't love him either. He isn't the man I fell in love with anymore."

"I don't understand."

Padme closed her eyes as she thought of a way to try and explain this to her, but no words came to mind. She couldn't simply say 'you'll understand when you're older,' That wouldn't cut it. "Leia… Sometimes there are things that happen between people that just… can't be forgiven." She said, "I simply do not know how else to explain it."

Leia directed her eyes back to the sheets on the bed, "What did he do that is so unforgivable?"

She shook her head, "That is a story for another time." She said, shutting down this difficult subject for the time being.

"I still miss him. And Galen too."

"I know."

"They're probably really worried about me. Can I at least send them a message telling them I'm alright?"

Padme shook her head, "Not right now, sweetie." She said, "Right now it is time to go to bed. It's late."

[][][][]

The Rebel ship currently sitting in the hanger of the Executor was by far the best lead Vader could have hoped for. Not only did they find several encrypted messages still in its system, but there had also been several personal transmissions sent to a planet in the Yavin system. Considering how short the transmissions were, and how many had been sent and received, Vader had no doubts that the Rebels were there. Now it was only a matter of finding definitive proof they were there. Vader had ensured that the commander of the Rebel ship had been locked away in the darkest cell on the Executor and after leaving him bound and in total darkness for a few days, it was now time to test the man's willingness to cooperate. Entering the cell, the only light that was in the room came from Vader's chest panel. Through the dim red the light cast, he noticed the man twitch upon his entrance. "Do you know what I want?" Vader asked. The man nodded his head quickly but that was not the response he wanted. "Speak!" He shouted, "I want to hear you say it."

"Yes." The man said, his voice hoarse and tired, "I know what you want."

Vader walked up to him so the man's head came just to his shoulders, "Tell me what I want to know and I promise I will be merciful."

The man looked up to meet the eyes of Vader's mask, "How do I know you're telling the truth?" He asked, "I've heard the stories, you don't do mercy."

"Not to those who don't comply." Vader said, "Tell me where your base is." The man looked down and shook his head. Lifting his hand, Vader gripped the man's throat, "The base!" He shouted, "Where is it?"

"I'll never tell!"

He growled as he released the man's throat. Stepping back, he paced the width of the room, the chains on the side of the bed rattled from his furry, "Tell me where it is." He demanded once more, "Tell me where my daughter is!" He was tired. The searching, the worrying, the fear; he was terrified. Terrified for the things the Rebel scum could be doing to his child. The Emperor still knew nothing, as far as he knew, but the longer this went on, the greater the chance she will be discovered.

"Your daughter?" The man asked, "You only want that little girl?"

Vader looked back at the man, "You've seen her?"

He nodded, "The Force sensitive kid that woman was desperate to get to."

"Woman?" Vader asked, turning to face him again, "What woman?" The Rebel looked down again. "What woman?" He demanded again, coming to stand before him once more.

"I wasn't stationed there for long, so I don't know exactly." He said, "But I know about the kid. Most people there don't even want her there."

"All I want is the girl." Vader said, "Tell me where she is."

The Rebel looked down and shook his head, "I shouldn't."

Vader wrapped his hand around his throat and focused. The man's thoughts were there. His mind was weak and his resolve to keep his secrets was feeble. With just the right focus, he could see it, he was close, the base's location, and the girl were close to the front of his mind. Vader ignored how he gasped and begged and kept his mind focused on the Rebel. He was close. He saw a forrest, trees, a temple of sorts… and then a name. Yavin IV.

Releasing the man's throat, he waited until the Rebel caught his breath, "Thank you for the information." Vader said. The man lifted his gaze back up to the Sith just as he ignited his lightsaber and thrust it into his chest. The man's eyes went wide a moment just before glancing down at his chest to see the red blade sticking from his chest before his head fell to his chest, motionless.

Deactivating his blade, Vader strode out of the cell. The troopers standing by the door stood at attention as he passed and quickly fell into step behind him. "Contact Peitt. Set a course for Yavin IV. We found them."


	9. Chapter 9

It has been a long wait for this chapter but it is finally here! I had to rewrite this chapter several times and it was originally split into two chapters but I figured putting them together was better. Sorry again for the wait and if you're reading my other stories, I promise those are coming out soon as well! Next on my to do list is Not the Boy You Used to Know!

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 9

Leia stared intently at the board in front of her. She had only two possible moves and neither seemed like they would even make much of a difference in this match. Across the table she knew her mother was smiling. This was the third round they have played and her mother had beaten her both of the previous games. Leia hated losing but her mother was just too good. Tapping a button, she moved one of the hologram monsters to the center of the table but it was quickly over taken by her mother's stronger monster. Leia let out a sigh at the loss and Padme laughed, "You'll get the hang of it." She said, "With enough practice you'll be able to beat me."

The door to the room opened, pulling both of their attentions to the officer who briskly walked over to Padme. Bending over he whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide at the message she was given, "Thank you, Captain." She said before quickly dismissing him. "We have to go." Padme said, standing and reaching for Leia's hand. The two of them walked quickly down the corridor back to their quarters.

"Where are we going?" Leia asked, "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." She said, opening the door and quickly moving over to her bed. Bending over she pulled out a suitcase and popped it open. Walking over to where her holos were sitting, she picked them all up and placed them carefully inside before walking to the closet. Pulling out what she could she tossed them inside, not caring for if they were wrinkled. "Come now, Leia," She said, "We have to hurry."

Leia shook her head, "Not until you tell me what's happening." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Padme opened her mouth to respond when the siren in the base went off.

"What's that?"

"Imperial attack." Padme said, pulling out the suitcase under Leia's bed. "We have to hurry." She said again, moving to grab whatever of Leia's clothes would fit in the case before closing it. "Come on." Padme said as she picked up the cases, but Leia wasn't listening, "What is it?" She asked, knowing Leia could sense something.

"He's here." She said, a smile on her face, "Daddy's here." Leia moved to turn and leave the room when Padme reached out and grabbed her arm.

"We have to go to the hanger." She said.

Leia shook her head, "But Mom, Dad-"

"-Can't know I'm here." She said. "We have to go, we have to stay away from him."

Her eyes narrowed at her mother, "I know you don't like him but-"

"-Leia, please," She pleaded, "I can't lose you too."

An echoed bang rattled the temple, sending dust flying into the air. Rushing over to the window, Leia jumped onto a chair to peek outside. She saw several shuttles landing in the forrest just outside of the temple and TIE fighters soared high, chasing Rebel fighters. Looming just above the combat zone, the sight of the largest Star Destroyer she had ever seen caught her eye. She knew it was floating just above the atmosphere and yet even at that distance it was massive enough to cast a shadow across the entire temple.

Jumping off the chair, Leia turned to her mother. She could sense her mother's fear of being found and the fear of losing her. Leia didn't want to lose her either, but she couldn't imagine her life without her father. There was obviously something big that happened between them, but couldn't they put it aside for her? "Mom, I want to go home." She said, "But I don't want to be away from you either. Please, come with me." She said, "Dad misses you too, and I'm sure Galen would love to meet you as well. Please."

Padme shook her head, "Leia, we're not going with your father." She said, walking over to her and placing her hands on her shoulders, "I know how much he means to you, but he's not-"

Leia pulled back from her mother, "You haven't seen him in ten years, how would you know what he's like now?" The base shook again as the sound of fighting drew closer. She didn't wait for her mother to respond before rushing out the door, running in the direction of the chaos as the base prepared for evacuation. She could hear her mother calling for her, but she didn't listen. All her life, Leia had wanted her mother- wanted her mother to be apart of both of their lives- the way things were supposed to be. But instead her parents were separated and it seemed like her mother was stuck in the past somewhere. But whatever happened with her father to cause this rift, there is no way he is the same way he was then. She knew her father. He was strong, protective, respected, fun, and above all loving. There is nothing he wouldn't do for those he loves and knowing that, she found it hard to understand how her mother could hate a man like that.

Turning down the corridor, she raced towards what she hoped would be an exit. She hasn't been in this part of the temple before, but she knows there has to be an exit here somewhere. Stopping in the middle of the corridor, she closes her eyes and focuses on her father's Force signature. They way it fluttered upon touching it, she knew he had felt her. Smiling, she ran farther down the corridor in search of a way out so she could get to him.

[][][][]

Padme ran out of the room after Leia but after a few turns, she had lost her. Leaning against the wall, she panted, cursing how fast a runner Leia was. It was no wonder Vader kept her on a Star Destroyer all her life- the girl could run. After catching her breath, she reasoned Leia was probably on her way to a hanger to get out. Turning to the right, she made her way to the main hanger, hoping to catch her before she made it out into the open.

Approaching the blast doors to the hanger, she sees the lines of Rebel troopers, their blasters aimed at the sealed blast doors while they took cover behind the barricades. There was no way Leia had gotten past this. Perhaps she had gone the wrong way…

The sound of blaster fire on the other side of the doors, pulled her attention away from her thoughts. The Rebels, clicked the safety off their blasters and several adjusted their hold on the weapons. Not a moment later, a loud blast sent smoke and debris into the air as the floor of the temple shook. Padme turned her head away from the doors and quickly took cover behind the barricade as the fighting ensued. Reaching for the blaster in her holster, she turns and leans out the side of the barricade to help return fire. Her vision was partially obscured by the smoke, but every once in a while she either heard or could make out the figure of a fallen storm trooper as they fell to the ground. All around her she heard the cries of soldiers as they were hit. Rebels, Storm Troopers, it was hard to discern which it was, but she knew it was most likely the Rebels. Their numbers were few, and the Imperials were coming too fast.

After countless volleys of fire, it grew quiet as the last Rebel beside her fell. Still behind the barricade, she waited. Beyond the blast doors, she heard him before he appeared. Peeking around, she held her breath as she beheld the man who had once been her husband as he ducked through the hole in the blast doors to enter the temple.

He was taller than he had been the last time she saw him. The mask and armor he wore made it hard for her to see how this man- this monster- could have ever been Anakin Skywalker. Her Anakin had never been this… menacing.

"You there!" A trooper shouted, pointing his finger at her. Padme gasped as she tried to get to her feet, but not before a trooper grabbed her by the arm. Twisting in his hold, she managed to shift her blaster and shot him in the chest before rounding on the troopers by Vader. The troopers held their blasters up and aimed them at her but before they could fire, Vader placed his hand on the barrel of one of the blasters and pushed it to the ground.

"Stand down." He ordered, his voice nothing like the voice she associated with her husband. The troopers lowered their weapons obediently, but she did not. "Padme…."

[][][][]

Vader stood, unmoving for several minutes as he stared at the woman before him. He wanted to think this was a trick- an illusion- a hallucination brought on by the lack of sleep he gets most days because he has been worrying about Leia. But when he reached out with the Force to her, there was no denying it. "Padme…" He said, unbelieving he was actually saying her name aloud like this, "You're… you're alive." He felt so much in that moment, he had no way to describe what he was feeling with any one word. He was happy, relieved, in shock, sad, and terrified; all he wanted was to close the distance between them and take her in his arms, but he could sense that was the last thing she wanted him to do. "Padme." He said again, taking a step towards her but ended up stumbling backwards, gripping his shoulder when he felt the shot from her blaster hit him. The troopers raised their blasters at her again, but he held his hand up to stop them. "You shot me." He growled, more from the pain than anger that it actually happened.

"You strangled me when I was pregnant." She countered, her eyes narrowed at him.

Vader stood back to his full height again, his hand gripping his shoulder, "Padme…" He started, "I… You know I never wanted to hurt you." The words were meaningless at best. Mustafar was the worst day of his life and despite everything he had suffered that day, he regretted what he had done to her more than anything. And even with her alive, he knows he will live with that guilt for the rest of his life.

"And yet you had." She said.

Vader wanted to retort, but turned his head sharply away from her when he felt Leia's presence.

"Daddy!" She called as he watched Leia run towards him. Falling to his knees in front of her, he holds his arms open for her to throw her arms around his neck.

"Are you alright?" He asked, cupping her cheek, "Did they hurt you?" When Leia shook her head, he sighed as he pulled her close again, "I was so worried." He said, "I was afraid I'd…" He didn't finish his sentence, instead he just rubbed her back as she clung to him.

"I missed you, Daddy." She said, pushing back to look into his mask before turning to Padme, "But I was with Mommy." She said, "You were right, she is amazing."

Vader looked back up at Padme and saw she had lowered her blaster, "Yes she is." He agreed, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Can she come home with us?" Leia asked.

He nodded, "Of course." He said, "She's your mother, and we belong together as a family." He said, his words directed at Padme, "This family has been split up long enough."

Padme's eyes narrowed at him, clearly not liking his suggestion. But this was the only way they could be together. He had spent too long blaming himself for her death, and knowing she is alive now, there is no power in this universe that will make him lose her again.

Vader looked back down at Leia again, "We'll have to arrange for quarters to be prepared for her, but there is more than enough room aboard our new home." He said, rising to his feet and taking Leia's hand to lead her outside. Vader could sense Padme following and he could also sense her anger at him. There was much they needed to work through, much he needed to beg forgiveness for but given enough time, he believed there was a way to reconcile with his wife. After all, they had once shared something so special, so passionate- a connection of the heart, body and soul- and there just has to be a way to get that back. He had to believe that is possible.

Leading his family outside, he points up at the Executor. "That is the first Super Star Destroyer in the fleet." He said, "Its called the Executor. And your room is much larger than the one on the Exactor." He said, relishing how her face lights up.

"Can we go now?" She begged, jumping excitedly, her grip on his hand tightening.

"Of course, Princess, lets just make sure your mother has all her things first."

"And if I refuse?" Padme asks, "What if I refuse to be your prisoner?"

Vader turns his attention fully to her, "You are not my prisoner." He said, "You are my wife-"

"Little difference there." She said, "You demand that I just move in with you-"

"I'm not demanding anything." He said, his voice harsher than it had been before, "I'm simply thinking having us together is what is best for our child."

Padme's eyes narrowed, "If you truly want what is best for her, you wouldn't still be working for the man who orders you to hunt Jedi."

"If you're worried about the Emperor, you needn't be." He promised, "All my men are loyal only to me. Most have been with me since I found Leia and the rest have undergone very thorough security checks. You'll be safe there."

She scoffs, "Safe? You call being on an Imperial ship safe?""

"Safer than with the Rebel fleet." He countered. Glancing down, he could sense how tense Leia was. This is clearly not the way she expected her parent's reunion to go, and it certainly isn't his either. "Perhaps we can discuss this later." He suggests, giving Leia's shoulder an affectionate squeeze, "We'd best get this little one home. She's had a busy day and I'm sure she is anxious to see her new room."

It takes her a moment before she nods in agreement, "I have one condition." She starts, "If I chose to leave, I need your word that you won't stop me and that we will discuss the particulars concerning Leia as well."

Vader nodded his head, "You have my word." He hated the thought that she might leave and as much as he wanted her to stay, he knew he would only drive a deeper wedge between them if he denied her. In the long run, giving up this space would pay off for a greater gain for them all, hopefully.

[][][][]

Padme ignored Vader for as much as she could. Standing in her old quarters packing while Imperial troopers carry her suitcases out to the shuttle is not something she enjoys very much and she almost wishes she had her droids with her now to help. But 3PO had been with Bail ever since he ordered the droid's mind wiped and Padme had lended R2 to Ahsoka while she was stationed on one of the Rebel cruisers. Vader siat in the desk chair while Leia was on the window seat. She could hear Leia talk about the things they had done here and tells him some of the differences between her stories and his. Vader seems to be very patient with her as he listens, though his attention is clearly divided as he would occasionally turn to look at her. It is hard for her to tell what he is thinking and it unnerves her how she can't read him at all. Is there even anything left of Anakin inside him?

After all her things are packed, she follows Vader wordlessly as he takes her to the shuttle. Outside the temple that had acted as the Rebel base up until a few hours ago, the Storm Troopers patrolled the area searching for anything of importance the escaped Rebels left behind. There were several groups Rebels who had missed the evacuation sitting on the hanger floor, guards surrounding them as they waited for the prisoner transports to take them. Her eyes met a few of them as she walked past them. The look in their eyes was that of betrayal, but what they didn't know was in a way she was as much a prisoner as they were.

Padme watched as Leia kept her face practically glued to the window as the Executor's size grew the closer they got to it. She was excited and asked her father many questions about the amenities aboard, which seemed to include a private recreation center just for her and Galen's use. Pulling into the hanger, she watched as Leia waved out the window to the party that waited for them and the moment the gangplank depended, the girl ran as fast as she could, jumping down and throwing her arms around a dark haired boy who must be Galen before hugging the officer standing next to him.

Turning her head, she saw Vader was still in the shuttle with her. When he caught her eye, he held his hand out to her, "After you, milady." He said. Padme ignored his hand as she made her way off the shuttle. The officer who Leia had hugged finished greeting the girl before standing tall with his hands folded behind his back as she descended. "Lady Vader." He greeted with a slight bow.

"Don't call me that." She said, "My name is Padme Amidala."

The officer nods his head, "As you say Lady Amidala." He says, "I am Admiral Piett, your husband's second. If you require anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you Admiral." She said out of curtesy. There were several things she wanted at the moment- a ship to take her and Leia far away from them for starters- but she wasn't about to start that just yet.

Piett stood taller as Vader came to stand beside her, "Piett. I trust things are well on their way." He said.

"Yes sir. I believe the crew shall have quarters prepared by tomorrow. I have them working up until the children's bedtime."

Vader nodded his head at the admiral. "Very good. Return to the bridge." Padme jumped as Vader placed his hand on her back, before he pulled it back, "If you follow me I'll show you where you will be staying." He said, turning to Leia who was laughing at a story Galen was telling her. "Leia." He called, "Do you want to see your room?" She nodded her head eagerly before moving to follow her parents to their new quarters.

Padme remembers all the times she had been on Star Destroyers during the Clone Wars. And while the military ships were not designed primarily for comfort, they had never given off the foreboding feeling she had aboard the Executor. Perhaps it was because of what she knew the Empire stood for, or perhaps it had more to do with Vader's presence; either way, even with the assurance that the Emperor would never find her and that the men aboard were loyal only to him, it wasn't enough to make the feelings go away.

It still surprised her how good Leia's relationship was with Vader. Even though she hadn't seem them interact much, she could tell something about him was different when she was around. Directing her attention to the boy, Padme found it hard to believe he was Vader's son. He looked nothing like Anakin and was by far more reserved than Leia. While she was more prone to jump around and be loud, he was calm and quiet, making her wonder who exactly the boy's mother had been. Leia had not said anything about his mother and couldn't help but wonder what exactly that woman's role was in their lives- if she even had a part that is.

They came to stop in front of a set of large doors where Vader keyed in the code to open the door. Leia was the first to rush inside followed by Galen who smiled at her reaction to the large living area which included a sitting area with a holoprojector near the center and a couch and two leather chairs arranged in a half circle across from it. Near the rear of the room was a small kitchen area with a table and four chairs set up. The left wall by the living area had two sets of doors that she assumed led to the children's room while on the right were two other rooms with one door closed and the other wide open. "That room will be yours once it is finished." Vader said when he noticed her staring at the open door.

"This is so cool!" Leia called from her room. The two of them walked over to see what had caught her attention. Standing in the doorway they watched as she looked at all the toys and holobooks arranged neatly on the shelves in the room. "Thank you, Daddy," She said, picking up a toy blaster.

"Come see mine!" Galen called from his room. Leia bolted past her parents and let out a playful scream before charging back out and jumping over the back of the couch. Galen quickly appeared, a toy blaster in his hands as well. "Rebel scum!" He shouted as he followed in vaulting over the couch and standing on the cushions.

"Feet off the couch." Vader scolded and the children were quick to obey his command. "It gets a little… crazy here sometimes," He told her.

"I can see that." She said, turning to face him.

His hand twitched at his side as if he was debating if he should touch her or not. Fortunately he didn't, which she was grateful for. "I… I can't tell you how many times I wished you were here." He said, "There were times raising them felt… impossible."

Padme crossed her arms over her chest, "You wouldn't have had to worry about it if you had just listened to me all those years ago." She said.

Vader nodded his head, "I know." He said, "I made a terrible mistake. And both you and Leia missed out on so much because of it." He paused a moment to watch as the children laughed and played in the room. "I can't take back what has happened, and you are rightfully angry at me, but I hope we can at least put that aside for their sake." He said, gesturing towards the children.

"What about Galen's mother?" She asked, curious to see his reaction and unable to wait for a better time to ask him. She isn't jealous. She isn't asking because she is a concerned wife. No, she just wants to know what sort of influence her daughter has been under so far.

"What about her?" He asked.

"I don't imagine she'll want me around her son and you."

Vader turned his body towards her fully. He was silent for several moments as he stared at her before looking back at the children then back at her. "You don't… You don't think Galen is… _mine_ , do you?" Isn't he? Now she has more questions than she had before. Vader shook his head, "Padme… I haven't been with anyone else but you." He said.

Padme raised a brow, "But Leia said he is her… brother."

He nodded his head and crossed his arms, "Yes, I adopted him after I killed his father."

Her eyes went wide, "You… how?" How could that boy be okay with living with the man who killed his father? It made no sense to her.

Vader gave a shrug, "It wasn't an easy adjustment. But they got along well enough and eventually he got used to the idea." It was an odd situation to her, but from how happy the boy was, there was no way to prove he was suffering from the situation- if anything he gives off all the signs of what a boy his age should be like.

Now looking at the boy as Vader's adopted son, Padme couldn't explain why that knowledge eased some of the tension she felt around him. It wasn't anything she planned to feel, but for some reason the knowledge that he had not been with anyone pleased her. Not that she really cares what he's done since their… estrangement, but it feels… nice to be so impactful- unless its because he can't. When his head was turned to the children again, she couldn't help but trail her eyes over his form. Anakin had always had a very strong sex drive. She couldn't recall a moment where they hadn't at least tried to make room for it- which had often led to some rather… risqué rendezvous- and the thought that he had spent the past decade alone, it was hard to imagine he hadn't taken at least one lover. So perhaps the reason he hadn't was because he couldn't.

"Mom!" Her thoughts are interrupted as Leia runs over to her, dragging Galen by the hand behind her, "Now that we're all together again, please tell this nerfhearder that because you are technically still married to Daddy, that you are technically his mom too."

Padme looked down at Galen who rolled his eyes at Leia. "Do we have to do this now?" He groaned.

"Yes."

"You just want to be proven right." He grumbled.

Leia's eyes narrowed at him, "Because this time I am right."

The request caught her completely off guard and she could feel Vader watching the interaction, most likely just as startled as she is. What should she say? She doesn't know Galen enough to know if the bored look on his face is real or if it is a front to hide how he really feels about this and she doesn't want to make the commitment without knowing where all of this is going since the only reason she agreed to come was because of Leia. Her eyes found Vader's for a moment and he must have seen her uncertainty as he took several steps up to them.

"We can work through the specifics of all of this later." He said, "This is a lot to take in for all of us, Leia." He told the young girl, "And right now I believe we just need time to adjust before we immediately jump to being a happy family. Go play for a bit. We'll send for you when it's time for dinner."

Leia nodded her head reluctantly before turning to narrow her eyes at the smug look on Galen's face. "Don't gloat. You haven't won yet." She said.

He gave a small shrug, "We'll see. Wanna see something really cool?" Leia's eyes perked up and not a moment later the two of them ran out of the room towards whatever it was that had caught their interest.

"Thank you." Padme said once they were alone again, "I really had no idea what to say to them."

"Leia is a bit too straightforward sometimes."

"A little?" Vader let out what she assumed was a light laugh, but it sounded strange with the voice processor. "She reminds me a lot of you." She said, her eyes downcast as they focused on the floor.

"Sometimes I worry too much like me." He added, crossing his arms over his chest. "You found her based on her little escapade on Naboo, correct?" She nodded her head, "She… she said some things that… that hit a little too close to home."

She turned her head to look up at him. She might not be able to read his face anymore, but she could see the tension in his back and shoulders- something she had learned often meant something was bothering him. "What did she say?"

"That she wanted to protect me. That she didn't want to lose anyone she cared about again. She asked me to train her." He said, "I haven't taught her anything," He added, turning his head to her, "I taught her simple tricks with the Force- levitation and how to shield herself, but that's it. I… I could never turn her into a Sith. When I look at her- when I look at both of them… They're my children. I see Leia as that precocious toddler who climbed onto my boot when I found her on Alderaan, and I see Galen as that starry-eyed boy who would always reach for the controls when I took them flying."

Padme was almost at a loss for words. The only information she had ever gotten about him had all revolved around his actions as Darth Vader the dog of the Empire. Listening to him now, she was seeing a side of him that was without a doubt Anakin Skywalker. He was still in there. He was still buried in darkness, but the presence of their daughter had preserved at least a small part of him. She smiled as she sent a silent prayer to her gods, begging them give her the strength to help bring him back fully. "I need to ask you something." As reassuring as his words might be, she can't help but seek a more direct promise of hers and Leia's safety.

"You can ask me anything." He said, giving her his full attention.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, "From what you said about Leia… it sounds like you never had any intentions of giving her to Palpatine. I just… I need to know what you are going to do. You know he is a threat to all of us."

Vader nodded in agreement, "I am aware." He said, "I've spent the last decade shielding Leia from being discovered, but I fear given recent events my actions have been far too erratic for my master to ignore. He very well might know something is going on."

"Could you take him? Beat him, I mean?"

He shook his head, "No. I'm not strong enough. If I was I would have killed him the moment I found Leia."

Padme folded her arms over her chest, "So what then? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." He said, "But I shall do everything in my power to keep you and the children safe."

She nodded her head as he finished speaking but she wasn't sure what else to say at the moment. She wanted to test him more- see if she could pull anything else reminiscent of Anakin out of him, but she wasn't sure if she should keep pushing. She was also curious about him- from what little information she knew of what had happened to him, she couldn't help but wonder if something could be done to help him, but that was another sensitive topic she wasn't quite ready to get into at the moment. Instead she remained silent until Vader bowed his head to her and excused himself as he left for the bridge.

Padme watched as he left, her mind now drifting back to what Leia had told her about growing up with Vader. It was clear to her now that the girl had not been lying when she said he was a good father. He truly did care about his children and she couldn't help but wonder how he would react when he found out about Luke. Would he understand why she hid it from him? Knowing how desperate he was to get Leia back, she was certain he would scour the galaxy to find his son as well, but would that search only push him farther into darkness knowing Luke was with Obi-Wan? Padme closed her eyes as she forced the thoughts away, now was not the time to worry about that. She will tell Vader the truth, but only when she is certain Anakin Skywalker is coming back.


	10. Chapter 10

More updates are coming slowly but surely, I promise! College just takes up a lot of time and between recording sessions, mixing, and programming; my time management is being pushed to the limits. I do force myself to at least try to write something when I have time, if only to preserve my sanity. But honestly most of those pieces go straight to my scrap folder since they are mostly just me rambling about whatever is in my head. One of them I wrote Anakin as Ramsay Snow from Game of Thrones which is just plain weird.

Anyways, here is the newest chapter! If we're lucky, I'll be able to get chapter 11 up very soon. (Doubtful though).

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 10

Left alone in the massive quarters, she wasn't quite so used to having so much free time on her hands. While she had been with the Rebellion she had always had at least something important to occupy her time with whether it was a report to read over or a meeting to attend. Now she hadn't the slightest clue what she should do. Turning around, she walked over to where the children's rooms were. Leia's room was a pale pink color with white furniture. Along the top of the short bookshelf next to her bed were several holos. One was of Leia and Galen sitting on the wing of a TIE fighter that looked to be maybe a year old at most. Another image was of them when Leia was just a toddler. Leia had told her she didn't have too many holos with Vader and this must be one of them. In the holo, Vader cradled the small child to his chest as he rocked gently to keep her asleep. Leia's tiny fist held tightly to her father's cape as she slept peacefully against him. The image made her smile for a moment before a tinge of jealousy made the smile fade.

How was it fair for him to have experienced the joys of parenthood when it had been by his hand they had nearly lost their children? What cruel god saw fit to deem him worthy raising their child and her to spend her days searching and worrying about her wellbeing? She wished things had been different. She wished she had played a part in their children's lives but instead she had been sidelined all their lives. She envied Vader for what he had with Leia. And yet at the same time she was… grateful for it. Padme closed her eyes as she sat down on the edge of Leia's bed. What would Vader have been had he not found Leia? She had seen a small glimpse of that monster on Mustafar so many years ago and there was no doubt in her mind that monster would have only grown more powerful without Leia's pure influence on his soul.

Padme rose from the bed and directed her attention to the boy's room next. She didn't feel like she had the same right to enter the room as she did with Leia's and so she simply peeked inside to get a glimpse of who this boy is. Galen's room looked like a typical boy's room. The walls were a dark blue color and had grey furniture similar to Leia's though much simpler in design. His shelves had only a small handful of holobooks and were mostly lined with model ships and the tools to put them together. His room was much messier than Leia's with half the sheets hanging off the edge of the bed and dirty clothes kicked under the bed. On his walls hung several posters from action movies and a handful of holos. The holo hanging next to the closet was from when they were both very young. Vader sat in the cockpit of his fighter with a child perched on either leg. His arms wrapped around both of them, as they each gripped one of the steering controls in their hands.

Seeing Galen with Vader only reminds her of her own son. The signs that Vader has more good in him than she thought screams at her that she needs to tell him the truth. She must find a way to tell him about Luke. But when she does how will he react? Will he listen to her? Or will he turn on her again? She wants to believe he won't. That his remorse over the past is genuine, but she can't lie and say she doesn't still have nightmares about it. Feeling his ghostly fingers wrapped around her throat, watching his eyes turn a sickly yellow as he glares at her as if she is nothing more than meat, disturbs and terrifies her.

Turning back to the main room, her eyes fall on closed door that leads to Vader's room. Knowing how badly he was hurt and why he wears the suit, she can't help but wonder how he lives now. With the room empty, it seems the perfect time to get some answers. Walking over to the door, she can feel her heart beat hard against her chest as her stomach twists in knots. Standing before the door she pauses a moment before she presses the button to open it. Surprisingly it opens without an issue. It is much larger than the children's room with its own holoprojector and a com unit installed into the wall. In the center sat a massive black sphere split into two hemispheres.

"Oh, Ani…" She whispered, putting her hand to her heart.

"That's Daddy's hyperbolic chamber." Padme jumps and turns to see Leia standing in the doorway. "It's the only place he can take his mask off."

"I figured that much," She said, smiling at Leia as the girl walked over to stand next to her. "How much do you know about your father's injuries?"

Leia looked up at her, "Which ones? The ones from before I was born or the ones given by the Emperor?"

Padme's eyes went wide at the blunt question. While she would never put Palpatine above inflicting harm on Vader, the fact that Leia said it as though it were common disturbed her. "Does that happen often?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Often enough." She said, "Galen and I always know when it happens. We can feel him almost constantly and when he cuts that off, we know he's in pain."

"Cuts it off?" A furrow formed on her brow. Not being Force Sensitive sometimes makes it difficult to understand the depth of his connection to things.

"He shields us from what he is feeling," Leia explained. "Cutting himself off means we won't feel whatever is happening to him, but it also means he feels what is happening to him a lot more because his attention is divided between the pain, shielding his thoughts, and cutting us out." Leia lowers her gaze, lost in a memory, "He was punished when I snuck onto Naboo." She said, "It was my fault."

Padme was quick to crouch down next to her, "No." She said, gripping her by the shoulders, "It wasn't your fault."

Leia shook her head, "Daddy said the same thing but it was. He got hurt because of me."

Padme lifted the girl's chin to force her to look at her, "Leia… if you hadn't done that I would have never found you. I think your father would agree that it is a small price to pay in the long run." Padme pulled Leia close, hugging her tightly before pulling back. "Why don't you and Galen show me around?" She suggested, "I haven't been on a Star Destroyer since the Clone Wars and this one is certainly much larger than anything I've ever been on."

Leia perked up at the suggestion, "Galen's waiting for me in the mess hall." She scratched the back of her neck in a nervous gesture that was exactly like what Anakin did when he had done something he shouldn't have. "I'm supposed to bring him some firecrackers to put in Lieutenant Royce's lunch." Padme gave her a scolding look that made her wince, "He deserves it." She defended, "Even Dad thinks he's an idiot."

"Leia, that doesn't give you permission to mess with the man. What does your father think of all this?"

She gave a small shrug, "He doesn't approve. But we do it anyway."

Padme shook her head, "Let's go to the mess hall before Galen does anything then."

[][][][]

Vader stood in front of the massive windows on the bridge watching as the TIE fighters flew past. He tried to focus his mind on anything else but Padme but no matter what he tried she always found a way to invade his thoughts. He had missed her. Missed her smile, her laugh, the way her eyes would light up when she looked at him. He had missed the sound of her voice and the scent of her hair, the softness of her skin against his. Vader closed his eyes, silently scolding himself. While they were able to act civil around the children, he knew she didn't feel the same way anymore. Why would she? The glass of the window reflected the grotesque mask he is forced to live in- the mask that hides the hideous burns and scars that cover every inch of what is left of his body. She could never love him for what he has become.

The sound of laughter reached his ears as Leia and Galen entered the bridge. Turning his head slightly he saw Padme was with them. The children were explaining some of the work that was done on the bridge and where some of the more interesting jobs were. Padme listened carefully to what they said but he was certain some of it went over her head. Vader decided it was best to spare her more of their rambling when Galen started talking about the ship's propulsion systems.

"The children gave you a tour of the ship?" He asked.

"Yes, though not a full tour." She said, "This ship is massive. It must be bigger than the Malevolence."

Vader remembered that ship better than most, partially since Padme had been captured on it. "Yes, almost three and a half times larger. But ten times more powerful." He said.

"It certainly is impressive." She remarked though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We showed her the recreation room," Leia said, smiling brightly up at her father. "We're going to need bathing suits if we're going to go swimming."

"So it would seem." He said, "I take it the addition of a pool is to your liking then?"

She nodded her head eagerly, "Yes. I wanted one for years but the Exactor didn't have room for one." She said, directing her last statement to Padme.

"Have you ever been swimming?" She asked.

Leia shook her head, "No. I always wanted to, though."

"There was an episode of _Voyages of the VSD Protector_ that took place mostly underwater. She's wanted to learn how to swim ever since. Though at first she asked for an ocean before settling for just asking for a pool."

Leia gave a shrug, "I was five. I didn't even know the difference between salt and fresh water." She defended.

"Speaking of things you don't know, that reminds me." Leia's eyes went wide, suddenly realizing what he was getting at. "You have missed quite a few lessons since your little… adventure with your mother. I trust a week to get caught up is sufficient?"

"A week?" She asked, "That's impossible!"

Vader raised a finger in warning to her, "It's only impossible if you don't assert yourself." He said, "Now, Galen has already had these lessons, I'm sure he can help you with them and Montferrat is more than willing to spend extra time tutoring you given the circumstances."

Leia let out a groan, "Why does it have to be him? He's boring."

He shook his head, "It will only take a week of hard work. Then you can go back to your normal routine." He explained.

She turned her head to Galen who was smirking beside her, "You realize you're stuck in this mess with me, right? Since you already know the stuff."

The boy gave a shrug, "Maybe I do, or maybe I wasn't really paying attention."

Vader crossed his arms over his chest, "Is that so? Perhaps I should ensure your next class has a test on the past month?"

Both the children's eyes widened and they shook their head rigorously, "Won't be necessary." Galen said, "I was paying attention. I can help." He grabbed his sister by the arm, "Let's get going." He said, "Before he really does give us a test." He whispered as they turned around and started for the turbolifts.

Vader shook his head, "Piett!" He called, "Ensure they both have a test next week- a large one." He ordered not even waiting for the admiral to approach.

"That might be a little harsh," Padme remarked.

He turned back to face her and gave a shrug, "Their education is important." He said, "If that makes me the bad guy, so be it. I have a feeling you will quickly become the favorite parent." She smiled and he is certain if his suit wasn't forcing air into his lungs his breath would have hitched.

"I don't think so." She said, "Leia's only known me a few weeks. And I don't even know Galen well enough to know what he thinks of me."

He smiled under his mask, "She's wanted you in her life from the moment she was born." He said, "And Galen, he's hard to get to open up, but once he does, you'll see how much he cares for the people he loves."

"And he loves you?"

At first, he felt slightly offended she would even ask, but he could understand her reservation. "Yes. As I love him." He said, "He may not share my blood, but he's still my son." Her eyes look away from him and he could feel the tension and internal struggle she felt. She was hiding something. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew it was something big- something that bothered her greatly. Should he ask? If he asked would she think he was overstepping? No. He shouldn't ask. Not yet anyway. Too much had happened already this day. Once those questions were quelled for the moment, his mind couldn't help but wonder what her secret was. What he had said about Galen had triggered this, was it possible she had met someone else? That she had a child somewhere else? With someone else? They had been apart for so long, the possibility was very likely. And she had made it quite clear she wasn't interested in him in that way anymore.

The thought of her with someone else brought back bitter memories. Memories of Clovis and how close he had been to losing her to him. His fists clenched at the thought of someone else holding her, kissing her, sharing her bed. Never again. The love they had once shared had been powerful. And such a love must have a way to be renewed. He will find it. No matter how long it may take, he will find it. For himself and for his children. They deserved to have parents who loved one another. Parents who can show them what love looks like. He might not be fond of the idea of his little princess dating, but he doesn't want her to be single for the rest of her days - only until she's forty. But when the day comes that she does find someone to spend the rest of her days with, he at least wants her to have the knowledge to know what is genuine and what is not. He just wants the assurance to know that she will be loved and well cared for.

[][][][]

Leia and Galen retreated into her bedroom, locking the door behind them. As much as her parents tried to hide it, the tension between them was still obvious. Her father was still very much in love with her, though it seemed for some reason her mother was determined to keep him at arm's length despite how much she really does care about him. "We have to do something." She said, looking over her shoulder at her brother who had made himself comfortable on her bed, resting his head on her pillows.

"I know. What do you think about filling Montferrat's quarters with used ammo cartridges?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." She said, hopping up to sit at the foot of the bed facing him. "I'm talking about mom and dad." She clarified.

Galen raised a brow at her, "What do you mean?"

Leia resisted the urge to grown at how blind he could be. "We have to do something to help them get along." She said, "Dad loves mom. He's always loved her. But she hasn't been here to see that so I don't think she knows just how much he does."

Galen held his hand up to stop her, "Hold up, what does this have to do with us? Better yet, what does it have to do with me?"

She rolled her eyes, "She's still married to dad so that makes her your mom too, nerf herder. Besides, think how happy dad'll be when they get back together. I could get the sister I always wanted!"

"Since when did you want a sister?" He asked.

Leia smiled at him, "I asked dad for a sister and I got stuck with you instead." She said, "He told me he needed mom to help make a baby, and now that she's here that can happen!"

He shook his head, "Leia, have you ever thought that maybe they should fix their problems alone? I mean, from what I understand they separated before you were born. Maybe it doesn't even concern you."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, "We're still a family." She said, "Families fix problems together. And whatever happens with them affects us as well. We have every right to do something about it."

Galen was silent a moment before he let out a tired sigh, "This family is just messed up." He said, "But its the only one I got. Whatever we do, we are not getting too involved. Ultimately they'll need to want to be together for this to work like you want it to."

Leia lunged for him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, "I knew I could count on you!" She shouted in his ears.

"You're choking me!" He groaned, pushing her back with his elbow. "First things first, we need to get a feel for what exactly it is between them," He started, explaining to Leia the importance of not being the blunt and impatient person she normally is. It wasn't going to be easy, but knowing he had her back, she knew they had a good chance of success.


	11. Chapter 11

I've been working on this chapter so sporadically editing took me a long time since I wasn't even sure if it all made sense in the scheme of things. I kept having to go back into previous chapters because I felt like I kept saying the same things too many times, or the characters changed too much (especially Padme, there were times I felt like her personality shifted too much or she was too quiet). I think I fixed those issues though so it's all good.

In response to the Guest reviewer who asked about Leia's force sensitivity, yes she is more force sensitive in this story. The reason for that is mainly because having been raised by Vader she was exposed to it more and was thus able to learn from that.

Also, a lot of people have been saying there should be more stuff between Vader and Padme, fear not, all that is coming soon (maybe in the next chapter even).

As always, Happy reading

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 11

Conversation with Vader was not an easy feat. It was tense, and the air between them was filled with so many words unsaid, neither were fully prepared to air them out quite yet. It was almost a relief when the young lieutenant Grafft informed Vader dinner was almost ready. As they walked down the corridors towards the living quarters, Padme spared a few glances at Vader. Seeing as joining the children for dinner seemed to be a part of his routine, she couldn't help but wonder if he ate with them or if he just sat and talked to them. While she wasn't aware of the extent of his injuries, she can't imagine eating was an easy task.

"I don't eat much anymore," Vader said, apparently able to know what she was thinking. "I'm mostly just there to spend time with them."

Padme nodded, though she still couldn't help but wonder how he ate, though she wasn't going to ask just yet. Talking about what had happened to him was most likely a sensitive subject as he hasn't even shown his face to his children yet. He might not even want her to pry. Instead, she decided to wait for him to bring it up. And then if he wanted to talk about it, she would listen.

They arrived at the quarters and were greeted by the children huddled around the coffee table their homework laid out before them as Galen tried to get Leia caught up. "How are your studies?" He asked. The two let out a loud groan that brought a smile to Padme's face.

"Horrible." Galen said, "I don't even get this stuff yet."

Vader knelt down in front of them, taking the holopad from Galen's hands and read it over. "(2x +y)(x-5y). How do you start?" The two remained silent and averted their eyes. "You have to be able to do this," He said, trying to coax them into answering.

"Why?" Leia asked, "It's not like we're ever going to need it."

"The engineers use it," Vader said, "So do the gunners, and the navigators; if there is one thing everyone on this ship is required to know, it's math. So I'll ask again. How do you start?"

The children exchanged looks before turning back to their father, "You start with the parenthesis but you can't add them," Galen answered.

"And when you can't? What then?"

"You can't. It's impossible."

Vader shook his head and pointed to the problem on the pad. "What can you add or multiply?"

The two looked at the problem carefully, "The 2x and the x?" Leia asked.

He nodded, "Yes. Multiply them and you get?"

"2x2," She said with a small smile.

"Exactly. Now, you do the same with the others and then simplify it."

Galen rolled his eyes, "I still don't get it," He complained.

"Then you'd better study more. Especially if you want a decent grade on your next test," Vader countered as he stood back up, "But after dinner."

At the mention of food, the two were quick to put down their homework and all but run to the kitchen table where a protocol droid was finishing setting the table. Three of the four seats had plates already served with steaming grilled meat and a serving of vegetables. As she expected, Vader took the only seat that did not have food and simply watched as the children dug into their dinner. It didn't take long after they started eating before they started talking. Galen asked Vader something about the fighters, and the three of them talked about going flying later in the week, Leia asked about when they could watch the episodes of _Voyages of the VSD Protector_ that she missed; it was such a small thing, and yet she couldn't help but feel envy. To them it was a normal family dinner - something they did every day; but for her, it was yet another reminder of what she had lost.

"Did Dad tell you where we were going next?" Padme looked up from her plate and met the young boy's eyes.

She shook her head, "No, he hasn't said much about that," She said, with a small smile in an effort to mask her feelings.

Galen sat up straighter in his seat, "We're going to a top secret location," He said, the pride evident in his tone, "There's this weapon that's being built and we're going to see how it's going. I heard it isn't near being finished, but it's supposed to be as big as a moon."

Her eyes went wide for a moment, "Weapon?" She asked, turning to look at Vader.

"We're not going to be there long," He said, "Just long enough so I have a report for the Emperor. And you three are to stay on the ship no matter what," He said, staring down the children across from him.

"What weapon?" Padme asked again, giving him a look that silently commanded him to answer her.

Vader ignored her for the moment, instead focusing on the two children in front of him, "In this case, that means no flying, no wild adventures, and no holonet."

The children's eyes went wide, "What?" They shouted in unison.

"That's not fair! We've never been restricted from the holonet before," Leia said.

Galen nodded in agreement, "Besides, the Executor is supposed to have the best security," He added.

Vader crossed his arms over his chest, "That may be but security in the sector will be high and I'm not willing to risk them finding unusual activity." The two did not seem very happy about the situation, but Padme at least agreed with him on this. It was better for them to be unhappy for a little while instead of giving the Empire a way for them to be found. She still wanted to know more about this weapon Vader was taking them to, but he didn't seem to want to explain it.

Dinner went silent after Vader told them about the restrictions they were to be under. The children finished most of their meal without even looking up. Leia was the first to put her fork down. "Finish your dinner," Vader said the moment she leaned back.

"I'm done," Leia replied.

"You know the rules, if you don't eat all your dinner you don't get dessert."

Padme looked at Leia's plate. It was close to being empty save for the small bit of vegetables left on the edge of the plate. "Isn't that a little harsh?" Padme asked, "She ate most of it. Taking dessert away just because of this doesn't-"

"The rules don't change just because you're here," Vader interrupted.

Turning her body towards him, she crossed her arms, "I disagree," She said, refusing to let him have total control anymore. "It's because I'm here things have to change. You can't make the rules alone anymore."

"It's my ship-"

"Kids," Padme said, looking over at them across the table, "Go to your rooms for a little while. Your dad and I need to talk." Wisely they listened immediately and walked quickly to Galen's room. After the door sealed behind them, she rose from her seat to put distance between them. Behind her, she heard Vader stand as well and the clanking of dishes as he picked up the plates and carried them over to the counter.

Turning around, she saw him leaning against the counter, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "I'm her mother," Padme started, "I'm her mother and the only reason I'm here is because I want to be a mother to my daughter."

"Our daughter," Vader corrected, "Or have you forgotten the role I've played in her life."

Her eyes narrowed at him, "Have you forgotten how you almost killed both of us?" Her words had clearly caught him off guard as he leaned back ever so slightly, "I wanted to be a mother. I wanted to raise her _with_ you. And we could have, if you had listened to me, if you had trusted me ten years ago, none of this would have happened."

"I know," He said.

"Do you? Because it feels like I'm an outsider watching you try to be the perfect father." Vader was silent and without being able to see his face it was hard to tell what he was thinking. "I missed everything," She said softly, "I missed most of her childhood, and for some reason, you didn't." Her eyes met the black lenses of his mask, "For ten years I thought you would be the worst thing to happen to her. I thought you would turn her into the same monster you have become. And to find you that you hadn't, that there is still a trace of the man I loved still in there somewhere, and that you… that you've actually done an excellent job raising Leia…" She paused a moment and shook her head, "I envy you that."

Vader took hesitant steps to close the space between them, stopping just out of arms reach of her. "You have every right to feel that," He said.

"We need to find a way to make this work," She said. "Despite our differences and despite what we feel, we need to find a way to work together on this. I don't want to fight in front of them."

Vader nodded his head, "I agree," He said. "But we can't change everything, this is the routine they've had all their lives. Changing it abruptly won't be good for them."

She nodded once, "I know, and I don't think we should change everything. But whatever happens from now on, neither of us should make executive decisions without the other."

"Very well," Vader said with a bow of his head, "They have classes during most of the day. Perhaps we can start to work on it then?"

"Agreed," She said. Looking back to the door where the kids had disappeared to, "But Leia should get her dessert tonight. That rule definitely needs to be less strict."

[][][][]

Leia and Galen sat on the floor facing one another, their ears pressed to the door as they tried to pick up anything their parents said. It wasn't working as well as they had hoped, only managing to hear muffled words every once in a while when one of them raised their voice. but for the most part, she had no idea what they were talking about. With a groan, she pushed away from the door. "This isn't working," She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Galen asked in a hushed whisper, "If we try anything and we get caught, we'll probably be in more trouble than we've ever been."

"I don't know," She whined, "But I just have to know what they're talking about! I'm sure it has something to do with what is wrong with them!"

He shook his head, "Leia, I told you, we have to be smart about this. We can find ways to make them talk, but they have to fix it on their own. This stuff goes way before we were even born," Galen pressed his ear against the door once again, "I don't hear anything," He said, "Maybe they're do-" His words were cut off as the door opened. Slowly his eyes widened as he raised his head to look up even slower. He knew even before his eyes met his father's that it was him. Galen gave a half smile before shuffling back, "Sorry, Dad," He said.

"You know better than to listen in on private conversations," Vader scolded, his fists resting on his hips.

"We didn't hear anything," He said in their defense.

Vader was silent a moment before he shook his head, "Is it too much to ask you to respect the privacy of others?"

The two shook their heads, "No," Leia said quickly, "We just…" She paused a moment, and let her gaze fall to the floor, "I didn't want to be the reason you were fighting," She lied. Leia hated lying to her father and found the task difficult to make believable as he was almost always able to tell if she was lying. Her father knelt down in front of her and picked her chin up with his thumb and forefinger.

"You weren't," He assured, "There is a lot of history between your mother and I and it is just going to take time to work through all that," He said calmly, "We are going to disagree on some things pertaining to the rules around here, but that is only because we want what is best for you. For both of you," Vader placed his hand on Galen's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "Come along you two, I'll help you for a bit with your homework and then we can watch some holoshows."

[][][][]

Padme sat next to the children on the floor as they worked on their schoolwork on the coffee table. While she might not have been the greatest at math during her schooling, she was still able to help some, though Vader was obviously the better choice for asking questions about equations and such. But when they shifted to their literature and history work she proved to be far better with those subjects having lived and breathed politics most of her life. She knew they were being taught the standard history sanctioned by the Empire and not wanting to start yet another argument with her husband, she silently added that to her list of things to bring up to him when they actually do sit down and talk about it.

Once they had finished their homework, Vader suggested they watch some holoshows for a little while. Galen and Leia quickly descended into a squabble over what show to watch, Galen wanting to watch the podrace and Leia dying to get caught up on her show. The two adults waited patiently for them to sort out the problem with a quick game of rock, paper, scissors. Galen won and with a cheer of "Yes!" He raced over to the couch and plopped himself next to Vader while reaching for the remote to pull up the race. Leia sat on his other side and Padme sat on the end next to her.

Throughout the race the two boys talked about the different pods and their pilots, listing stats and citing past races as they watched. Leia leaned back on the couch, the race not of any particular interest to her. "Do you even understand any of this?" She asked her mother.

Padme smiled and shook her head, "No a word," She said honestly, making both of them laugh.

As the racers came to the final turn of the race, the two boys leaned forward, even more, trying to decide between the two lead racers who was going to pull forward and win. Galen was certain it was going to be a Dug named Jebiwa Korgonu but Vader claimed it would be the Rodian Eexa Eaasenniq. The Rodian pulled ahead in the final turn but just a few meters before the finish, by some miracle the Dug pulled ahead by just enough to win. Galen threw his arms up in victory and cheered loudly as Vader leaned back and watched the boy celebrate. Galen was always a very reserved child, but when he was flying or watching a race he was always better at expressing his excitement and joy.

"Is it over yet?" Leia asked watching her brother jump around.

"I won!" He shouted.

"No, really?" She said sarcastically. "I thought you were actually happy to lose." Galen rolled his eyes and ignored her as he turned to watch the victory celebration on the projector.

After the Dug was given his prize Vader turned the projector off and stood from the couch, "Time for bed you two," He declared. The children groaned but complied and made their way to their respective bedrooms to get ready for bed. "Do you want to turn down Leia's bed, or shall I?" He asked.

"I can do it," Padme said before leaving to put Leia to bed. By the time she had the bed unmade, the girl left her fresher and climbed from the foot of the bed to the head. Padme smiled as her daughter rested her head against the pillow and let her tuck her in.

"Night Mommy," Leia said sleepily.

Padme leaned down and pressed a kiss to her brow, "Night Sweetie," She said. Behind her, she heard Vader approach and watched as he smoothed out the top of her hair.

"Night Daddy," She said.

"Goodnight Princess," He returned. He turned to look at Padme for a moment before they turned and left the room, turning out the light and closing the door behind them. "Galen is still awake," He said with a shake of his head before he turned and reentered the boy's room. Padme followed and sure enough, Galen was sitting at his desk with a model ship in his hands. "Galen," Vader said, in a tone that demanded he listens.

The boy turned and saw them in his doorway and he gave an embarrassed smile, "I was just moving some of my models around," He defended.

"After your father told you it's bedtime?" Padme asked.

He gave a shrug, "I didn't want to forget?" The defense was weak and with a sigh, he slid down from his chair and returned the model to its home on the shelf before climbing back into bed.

"Goodnight," Vader said.

"Night," He returned before turning away from the door and pulling the covers over his shoulders.

Vader closed the door to the bedrooms and turned to Padme. "Your room should be finished tomorrow," He said, "In the meantime, I have arranged for a temporary room for you tonight." He held his arm out, silently asking her to start walking to the door.

[][][][]

Vader led her down the corridor away from the living space he shared with his children and towards the officer's quarters he had arranged for Padme to stay the night in. He didn't want her to be so far away and he knew she was opposed to the idea as well, but until her room in the space was finished there was little else he could do. They came to stop in front of one of the officer's rooms tapping the door open, he let her enter the room and found her bags already sitting on the bed. Vader remained standing in the hall, unsure if he should enter. "I trust you find the accommodations acceptable," He said as he watched her look around the room.

"They're fine," She said, stopping in her look around and turned to face him. Her eyes looked him up and down and he could sense there was something on her mind that she wanted to say or ask. He waited patiently for her to speak and watched as the wheels in her head turned as she formulated what she wanted to say, "There's something I need to know," She started, "I… Watching you with the children… I need to know who you are."

His brow furrowed under his mask, "You already know who I am."

"I need you to say it," She said. "I need you to tell me who you are."

He was silent for several moments as he tried to understand what she wanted to hear. "I am Darth Vader," He said.

"Are you sure?" She asked, her eyes looking into the glass that hid his eyes. "Would the Darth Vader who killed the younglings in the Jedi Temple ever consider protecting two children from his master?"

Vader shifted his footing, "What exactly are you asking me? What do you want me to say?" He asked.

Padme crossed her arms over her chest, "I want to trust you. But to do that, I need to know if there is even a shred of Anakin left inside you. So is there? Or am I just wasting my time thinking there might be?" Her words forced him into silence once more and she must have known how confusing her question was for him as she spoke again. "When I decided to join the Rebellion, I asked to see the security holograms from the Jedi Temple on the night of the purges," She said, letting her gaze fall to the floor. "I watched as the man I loved, a man who was about to become a father himself, killed innocent, unarmed children," She paused a moment to let her words sink in before she continued, "That man, who called himself Darth Vader, did that without question because his master told him to. And yet, here you are protecting two force-sensitive children, raising them, protecting them, loving them; how can you continue to call yourself Vader when your actions don't match the foundation he was built on?"

She was right. His actions were contrary to what people expected of him. He could not deny the love he felt for his children. And standing before his wife he could not deny that he still loved her. Love is something a Sith should be incapable of, and yet he felt it for three individuals who mean more to him than anything. She was right to question who he is now. But he cannot be Anakin Skywalker ever again. He has killed him. He also cannot be Darth Vader. Leia killed him the moment her light penetrated the darkness in his soul. So who was he now? "I don't know," He said.

Padme gave a small smile, and nodded her head once, "I think you do," She said, her eyes meeting his again, "You just don't think you can be him."

Vader backed away from the door, "I'll see you tomorrow," He said, "Goodnight." He turned his back to her and started to walk back the way he had come.

"I missed you," She said, her words catching him by surprise and forcing him to stop a moment. He turned his head in an attempt to see her face but midway he stopped himself and forced himself to start walking again. He didn't want to dwell on her line of questions anymore. They only served to confuse and distract him with dreams of the impossible.


	12. Chapter 12

Big talk this chapter, I am beat after writing it and rewriting it over and over again. I am certain there are still a million more ways I could have done it, and so many different things I could have resolved instead of what I did "resolve" but this is the version I went with. Next chapter will have more Vader POV.

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 12

The moment the hyperbaric chamber sealed and his mask was removed, Vader let his head fall into his hands. Hunched forward, he dragged his gloved hands over his scarred scalp. She had been in his presence for little more than a day and yet she somehow managed to get under his skin in more ways than one. How is it one woman could be both so infuriating and yet still so very attractive to him? His love for her had never once wavered in the years since he had last been with her. And most of his parenting had been influenced by what he believed she would have done. But now that she was here, now that she was a part of the parenting, it was clear what he thought she would have done, and what she actually would have done might not be as accurate as he thought. He wasn't used to working with someone in raising his children. True, he would ask Piett for advice on occasion, but he hasn't needed such advice in a long time and no one would dare question his parenting, at least until she showed up. He can't bring himself to be angry at her, though, not really. She had every right to them as he did, or at least to Leia. As for Galen, he wasn't quite sure just yet, but as far as he was concerned she had the same rights simply because raising two children two different ways would be too much for all of them.

Vader pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired, and there was much that had to be done tomorrow. He had to check the ETA to the Death Star, make sure the children attended their lessons, punish them for the antics they were likely to perform during said lessons, he will probably have to contact the Emperor for one reason or another, not to mention have a very serious talk with Padme about the children and what they were going to do. He heaved a sigh, he was used to being busy but at the same time, he was almost dreading the conversation with Padme. Their talk that night had left him more confused than ever by asking him questions he hadn't even considered in years. Who was he? Vader or Skywalker? The answer eluded him. Perhaps he was both, perhaps he was neither. Either way, he knew that he could not go back to being only one. He had been immersed in darkness too long to be Skywalker, and with Leia and Galen in his life, there was no way he could succumb fully to the darkness again.

Vader shook his head to rid himself of the confusing puzzle Padme had thrown at him. There was not going to be a clear answer to that for awhile and he had better used for his time. Reaching over his shoulder, he removed the left shoulder guard and then pressed a button on the side console. The hum of moving parts started followed quickly by one of the mechanical arms in the roof of the dome lowering to his left side with a hypodermic needle. The arm buzzed lightly as it scanned the left shoulder before zoning in on the small gap in the fabric that bared some of his flesh. The pale skin was dotted with several red marks left from the last time he had done this. The needle pressed into his skin and then started the injection process. A light blue liquid started to flow down through the tube connected to the needle and into his body. Vader watched it for a moment before turning his attention away from it. He hated it. He hated needing to live like this, needing to take nutrition this way but it was the best he could do.

The liquid stopped flowing after about a half hour and the needle retracted and returned to its place in the ceiling. The hum of the machinery replacing the needle and the tube sang throughout the chamber as Vader dabbed at where the needle had been before he replaced the shoulder guard. He rolled his shoulder a bit to try and dull the ache in it before deciding it was best to try and sleep. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind and enter a dreamless sleep.

It didn't work.

[][][][]

Padme awoke to the sound of knocking on the door. Glancing at the chrono on the side table it was about six in the morning. As much as she wanted to just fall back asleep again, she could tell from the short pauses between each knocking pattern that whoever it was, wasn't going to leave anytime soon. Rising from the bed, she retrieved her robe and tied it tight around herself before answering the door.

Piett bowed his head to her when she opened the door, "Good morning, Milady," He said. "Lord Vader wished for me to inform you that Galen and Leia are leaving for their studies soon. He thought you might want to have breakfast with them."

"Yes, of course. Just give me a moment," She said, closing the door once more to get dressed. She was grateful Vader thought to include her into the morning, had he not it would certainly be on the list of things she had to talk to him about. Once she was satisfied, she reopened the door and allowed Piett to escort her to the living quarters.

"I should best warn you in advance, mornings… can sometimes be a little hectic," He said as they walked, "Galen tends to oversleep while Leia spends a significant amount of time getting ready. All the while Lord Vader tries to manage them and take care of administrative duties," Piett smiled warmly at her, "I'm certain your presence here is greatly appreciated by both Leia and Vader."

Padme returned his smile and nodded to acknowledge him, though his words only brought forth bitter feelings. Clearly, Piett knew more about her husband than she did and it bothered her more than she thought. During the Clone Wars, she had known more about her husband than anyone. He had trusted her with almost everything from how growing up in the Jedi Temple had been to his fear of losing her to someone more worthy of her affection. While some took longer for him to open up about, she had eventually learned them all. And now, she finds that she has not even made a dent the hard outer shell that surrounds him. As much as she hates what he has become, she can't deny there isn't some good left in him. She just needs to find a way to get through to him.

Piett doesn't even knock once they arrive at Vader's living quarters. Inside a protocol droid has set three plates of breakfast on the table but none of the residents are in sight. Padme takes note of the silence as she walked further into the space.

"No, this is wrong," Padme turned her head to Leia's room where the voice came from. "The back part isn't even," Leia said as Padme came to stand in the doorway. Vader was sitting behind Leia who was holding up a mirror inspecting her hair, "Didn't you watch that holovid I told you about?" She asked, "It specifically said the parts had to be even."

He sighed and his shoulders hunched over slightly, "I watched it," He said. "But you know I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing." Padme smiled as clearly he was trying to help their daughter with her hair, and failing at it. "I don't even know why you bother. Your hair is beautiful without doing anything elaborate to it."

Leia groaned, "Daddy, it is the one girly thing I do on this ship. Unless I want to be a gross boy like Galen, I have to do this."

He shook his head and turned to see Padme in the doorway. "Then perhaps you had best ask your mother to help," He said, "If I recall correctly, she used to spend hours on such things."

Her daughter turned and smiled at her and she returned it with enthusiasm, "I would love to," She said, moving to take the seat Vader vacated for her, "Just tell me what you're trying to do."

Leia turned to face the mirror once more and described the style in detail to her. It wasn't nearly as complicated as Vader seemed to think it was, but it also wasn't by any means simple. Taking the brush from the desk, Padme carefully brushed out her daughter's hair before she started to search for the part. During Leia's stay with her on the Rebel base she had done Leia's hair many times, and yet she still couldn't get over how nice it was to do something so simple and motherly for her. Padme recalls so many times when her own mother would do exactly what she was doing now. To her, the simple act of helping her daughter with her hair is something every mother should do at some point. Every once in a while she would look up and catch Leia's reflection in the mirror and it pleased her to see Leia smiling back at her.

"There," Padme said as she finished pinning the last piece of hair, pushing the braid in front of her left shoulder.

Leia held up the mirror to inspect her mother's work and her eyes lit up immediately, "It's perfect!" She said, turning and embracing her tightly. Padme laughed and returned the hug, kissing the top of her head lightly. "Thank you," She said.

"Anytime," Padme said with a laugh, "Now, maybe you want to go and eat some breakfast before it gets cold." Her daughter nodded and left for the table.

In the other bedroom, she heard Galen groan and Vader give the boy a stern warning. Rising from her seat, she went to go and see what was going on and found the boy buried under his sheets and pillows, Vader looming over him with is fists firmly resting on his hips. "Come now Galen," He started, "This happens more often than it should. Do you want me to send you to bed earlier to ensure you get up on time?" Padme watched as the pillow shifted and a muffled "No" came from the boy. She stayed where she was in the doorway, her mind debating whether or not she should intervene. Vader tried yet again to coax his son out verbally but to no avail. She watched as his fists clenched before he lifted a hand used the Force to grab Galen by the ankle and drag him from under the covers over the side of the bed where he was unceremoniously dropped on his bum.

She bit back a laugh at the disoriented look on the poor boy's face as his father loomed over him. "Now that you're out of bed, go get ready else you won't have time for breakfast," Vader said before turning sharply on his heels for the door.

"I've been told that is fairly normal around here," Padme said once Galen groggily made his way to the fresher.

Vader nodded his head, "Yes, I have yet to find a foolproof way to always have him up on time," He admitted, "Feel free to give suggestions. I'm open for just about anything at this point."

She smiled and walked alongside him towards the table where Leia was just finishing breakfast. Sitting down at the table, Padme noted how breakfast, unlike dinner, was different at each setting. Leia seemed to favor protato wedges and a small bowl of assorted fruit while the setting where Galen normally sits had a hot plate of panna cakes. Padme was not known to eat much for breakfast- the only time where she made an active effort to do so being when she was pregnant- and it seemed Vader remembered that as the plate in front of her was only a bowl of cut up shuura fruit, cloudberries, and starfruit.

"What are you doing today, Daddy?" Leia asked as they sat down.

"The usual," He said, folding his arms over his chest, "Reports, communications, and the works."

A crease formed in her brow, "What about mom?" She asked.

He turned his head to look at Padme and gave a shrug, "Well, after you and Galen are off, we'll probably… talk," He said. "There is a lot between us that needs to be resolved and things we need to catch up on."

Leia's eyes darted between them for a moment, "Does that mean… we'll be a family? Like a real family? You won't argue?"

Padme leaned forward, deciding to take the lead on this one, "This won't be resolved in a day, Leia," She started, "You have to understand, there are years of issues that need to be reconciled. But… if we're both willing," Padme glanced at Vader out of the corner of her eye, "Then we might get somewhere in time." Her words were simple enough that Leia understood, and yet they held a slightly different meaning to her. Padme had noticed how Vader reacted when she told him she had missed him. The awkward pause was enough to tell her he was struggling with the darkness, and enough to motivate her to do something. She was willing to try and find the good man that was trapped inside that black suit, but he had to be willing to admit that man was still there. And that ultimately meant facing the past. Facing what he had done, and finding a way to live with it without falling further into darkness. She was willing to help in whatever way she could. She had to, if not for herself and the love they once shared, then for their children. The lives they had led up until this point is far from the life she had imagined for them, and they owed it to them to at least try.

"Really?" Leia's excitement was evident in the glow in her eyes.

Padme nodded, "Yeah, but don't pin your hopes too much on it. It might work, but there is also a chance it might not."

Leia sat back in her seat and held her hands up, "Say no more," She said, turning her head when Galen emerged from his bedroom, "We'll be off to class now," She declared, leaping from her seat and grabbing Galen's arm, ignoring his protests and demands to eat as she whispered harshly in his ear to follow her as she led him out the door.

"Why do I get the feeling they're plotting something?" Padme asked once the door closed behind the children.

"Because they probably are," Vader said as he picked up the plates from the table, "They always have something cooking in those heads of theirs. Though, I'd have to say it's mostly Leia's head that does the thinking."

She shook her head, "Well, she certainly is your daughter in that case," She said, "You always had some harebrained stunt in mind be it a military plan, or just something to try and scare me."

Vader leaned his back against the counter, "Yes, well at least there was a reason to my madness. The only reason they seem to have is fun."

She gave a small shrug, "They're kids, what else is there?" She asked, moving over to take a seat on the couch.

He followed her and took a seat in one of the armchairs next to her, "I don't know," He said, "My childhood… wasn't much of a childhood."

Padme nodded, understanding completely what he had meant. Having grown up as a slave, he had missed out on so many of the simple things Padme had cherished as a child. "You've done well," She said, "They're both so happy and, I suppose that's what matters, right?"

An awkward silence slowly formed around them as they each waited for the other to say something. Padme had hoped Vader would start, that he would tell her more about Leia's upbringing, tell her about the standards he held her to so they could have an open discussion about parenting. Doing so would give them an opportunity to sort that out while she determined if it was the right time to drop the Luke situation on him. She knew she had to bring him up very soon if she had any chance of gaining his full trust, and yet, despite how skilled she was with words, she had no idea how to tell him she had given birth to not one, but two babies.

"Do you… want to know the rules I have for them?" He asked, "I suppose that's as good a place as any to start."

Padme nodded in agreement, "We need to try and find common ground in the rules and a means so that we don't contradict one another." She could recall many times as a child when either she or her sister had gone to the other parent when the first said no to whatever it was they wanted. It hadn't worked, but in that case, their parents had been on the same page from the start.

Vader sat back in his seat, "Well, you already know the dinner rule," He started.

"Yes, why are you so strict about that? She had almost eaten the entire thing, does one bite really matter that much to you?"

He shook his head, "No, but Leia has always had a problem with vegetables. I figured it was better to just be strict about it to avoid discrepancy."

She could understand that, and yet he had to let up at some point. "Perhaps," She agreed, "But on occasion let her get away with it. It will make her feel like you're listening to her more and the uncertainty of it might make her more willing to actually just eat it."

From the way he crossed his arms, it looked as though he wanted to argue but he didn't. "Very well," He agreed. "But she still has to eat most of them."

Padme nodded, "Of course, I wouldn't even think to let her get away without at least three-quarters finished."

Her answer seemed to please him because his arms relaxed and he shifted ever so slightly to lean forward. "Holovids and games. After lessons, they have two hours free time, and then homework until dinner. If they still have work, they have to finish it before they can go have fun. And at 1900 hours we watch holovids together." She didn't have any complaints with that rule whatsoever. It made sense and it honestly wasn't much different than what her parents had done with her and Sola.

They continued to go over how Vader had run his household over the years and how he disciplines the children. For the most part, she could understand why he would punish them when they broke rules, pulled their pranks, and whatnot, but she didn't agree fully with some of the forms of punishments he gives. "All I'm trying to say is the punishment needs to fit the crime," Padme said, "I know I wasn't there for the things you're telling me about, but a month without the holonet because they didn't do well on a test? That sounds a little harsh."

Vader gave a shrug, "It made sense at the time," He said, "And I've long since let up for such errors," He admitted. "But their education is still important. I don't tolerate anything lower than a B without consequences."

She nodded once, "I can agree with that," She said. "And what about these famous pranks I always hear about?" She asked, watching as he rolled his neck. Clearly, their pranks are a constant issue.

"It depends on the severity of the prank," He started, "They started a food fight in the mess hall once, and the only reason they aren't still grounded, is because Piett dealt with the discipline on that one because I was on the planet surface for that one."

A knit formed in her brow, "Piett? I didn't know he had those kinds of privileges."

Vader shrugged, "He's the only competent officer I have. He was the only one I trusted with Leia when she first came to me, and as such whenever I was away I left Piett in charge." He sat back in his seat, "Though, it was partially his fault they stole that TIE fighter and ended up on Naboo…"

Padme stared at him, her eyes wide in shock, surprised that the officer was still alive considering how notorious he was for killing his own men. "How was that incident dealt with?" She asked.

"Oh, that… was more complicated…" He started, "I… wanted to do worse, if so many… deep feelings weren't involved in that instance, I probably would have. But instead, she was confined to her quarters for two months. No holonet, no holovids, no toys, or games… just lessons and homework," He said. "She put herself and Galen in a lot of danger with that stunt, but I understood why, which was the reason she didn't get a year," He explained.

"When you say feelings…" She started, her fingers knitted together on her lap, "You mean me, don't you?"

Vader nodded, "She wanted to know you, know more about you than what she could find out from me or the holonet. And what better way than to visit your home world? Which even now still regards you as one of the most influential people of all time."

Padme dropped her gaze and shook her head, "You exaggerate," she said, "I only ever said and did what I believed was morally right not only for my people but for the people of the Republic. There were many others who did the same."

He shook his head, "Not like what you did. You never faltered once with your convictions and you fought harder than most to not only be heard but for something to be done." Padme smiled, sensing the sincerity in his words. "Besides, my Master has often told me you were one of his only real opponents in the Senate. That says something about how influential you really were."

Her smile widened, "Really? Well, that is certainly good to know," She said, pleased with herself knowing her fight had not been one easily lost.

He was silent for several moments after, and she watched as he folded and unfolded his hands, uncertain of what to do with them. "I think that was one of the reasons he wanted you out of the picture," He said, his voice harsher than it had been earlier, his disgust evident. "He wanted you gone because he knew you could sway me. He knew you could turn me against him."

It was Padme's turn to be silent. Was he admitting he was going to change? Or was he just referring to how she used to be able to change his mind? She couldn't tell and she didn't want to get into it today. Not when she had to find a way to bring up Luke. They had gone over most of the important things already, and the closer they got to finishing, she was still nowhere prepared with how to tell him. And she knew it was only a matter of time before he noticed her nerves.

[][][][]

Vader watched as her eyes focused on her folded hands as her thumb drew idle circles on her knuckle. She was hiding something. She wanted to say something, something he must not like because there was no other explanation for why she felt tense through the Force. His mind raced back to when he first felt this from her and the thought of someone else holding her heart came to mind. Perhaps that was what she wanted to tell him. That she loved another. But that didn't make sense, not when it seemed she wanted to make an effort to at least try with him. Perhaps she just doesn't want to keep it secret. Perhaps she would rather he hear it from her than from someone else down the line. It made sense, but it did nothing to quell the jealousy he felt even before she said a word. "You have something you would like to say?" He asked, deciding it was best to spare both of them the obvious anxiety just sitting and wondering was giving them.

Her eyes shot up to his, wide and for the first time in a long time, terrified. Padme bit her lower lip, something she only ever did when she was truly nervous. "Yes…" She said simply, shifting to sit up taller, taking her most political pose. "There's something I need to tell you… something I have no idea how you'll react to." It was a lover. It had to be. What else could possibly make her say that? Vader braced himself for it, focusing all his attention on keeping a level head. The last thing he wanted was to do or say something to push her closer to whoever she had been with. "The night Leia was born, something happened. Something I didn't expect." Vader's fists clenched, she had been with Kenobi. The night his child had been born, the bastard who mutilated him had taken his wife's heart. "Anakin… Leia isn't the only child I had that night," She said, "She has a twin."


	13. Chapter 13

**FINALLY! This chapter was a challenge and I had rewritten it so many times I actually lost track! I am just so glad this chapter is out of the way because it means the next few chapters should come out much faster (provided no external forces disturb me or I get distracted by other stories)**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 13

The room was eerily silent as she waited for him to react. Her eyes darted from the floor to the walls and then to his emotionless mask which only made the situation worse since she had no way of knowing what he was thinking or feeling. Was he angry? She had lied to him, but he had to understand why she had lied. And it wasn't like she had lied for a long time- only until she was certain he could be trusted. Was he happy he had another child? Or was three too much? Thinking back to the few times they talked about a future together, they had talked about raising a family, but they had never put a number on how many kids they wanted. Was he upset he had missed ten years of his child's life? She was too and perhaps knowing that would calm him down if he was indeed angry. Padme looked away from his face and focused on the coffee table in front of her. She knew that the best thing she could do in this moment was to just wait for him to react.

It took several minutes before his voice came through his voice processor. "We… We have…" He struggled with his words, understandably shocked. "We have… _two_ daughters?" He asked.

"Well, no… Leia's twin is a boy," She said.

"A boy… a son… I- _we_ have a son…" Vader rambled, his mind seeming to struggle with the concept. "Twins… a girl…. and a boy… a boy- a son…"

Padme nodded, "Yes…" She wanted him to say something more, listening to him ramble was slightly unnerving and with the voice processor he sounded like a malfunctioning droid, but she let him take the time to process. She can't truly imagine what it must be like for him to discover she had given birth to two babies. She had found out only when she was examined on Polis Massa, and they barely gave her time to process it before her labor was induced.

"Where is he?" He asked suddenly once the idea sunk in, "Where is our son?"

Now came the harder truth. Padme sighed, "I don't know," She said. "He was taken shortly after he was born just like Leia. I only got to name him before he was gone."

"Who took him?" He asked.

"Obi-Wan," She said. "Bail told me he took him to Tatooine- to your step-brother… but when I got there, he had already taken him somewhere else."

It was silent again save for the sound of his breathing. She watched as his fists clenched tightly, "And you weren't going to tell me, were you?" He asked. "You meant to keep this from me. To lie to me."

Padme shook her head, "No, that's not-"

"Then why wait until now to tell me?" He demanded. "Why keep it even from Leia unless you meant to keep it a secret?"

"You must understand my uncertainty where you are concerned," She started. "The past ten years all I had to go on was what they said about you on the holonet and what happened on Mustafar. I had no way of knowing you weren't training Leia to be a Sith. No way of knowing that your loyalty to our family outweighed your loyalty to Palpatine. And when I saw you after all those years, I had to be certain."

"Certain you could trust me?" He asked.

She nodded, "Basically, yes." Vader turned his head away from her before rising from his seat. "Anakin, please-"

"I need to be alone," He said harshly as he made for his quarters, the door shutting swiftly behind him.

Padme stayed seated where she was, her hands folded in her lap as her mind worked furiously to try and predict the state he would be in when he emerged. She wasn't Force Sensitive but she knew he was hurting and whether that was from not knowing they had twins, or the fact that she hadn't told him immediately, was hard to tell. She hoped he would be able to see things from her perspective and realize she hadn't waited that long to tell him. But there was still so much about him she was uncertain of. While she can clearly see traces of Anakin in him, she was well aware darkness still dominated his life.

[][][][]

Math was boring. Leia sat at the conference table next to Galen who was slowly nodding off as Captain whats-his-face droned on and on about triangles or something- she had stopped listening some time ago. Instead, her mind focused on her parents. A small smile formed on her face as she thought about their family actually being whole. She thought about them living without fear of the Emperor finding them, where they could go to Naboo and the Lake House her father had told her so many stories about. She imagined her mother teaching her and Galen how to swim and their father taking them to see races in person. It was a beautiful dream, one she hoped would become reality very soon.

Galen's head bobbed as he startled himself awake again and Leia shook her head at the wide-eyed look he had on his face. It was times like these she envied his ability to fall asleep almost anywhere. She had a long history of trouble sleeping be it from nightmares or just a simple case of a wandering mind and the only way she could fall asleep when she was like that was when her father sat by her bedside. His presence always had a protective aura around him that made her feel safe.

A sudden chill ran down her spine and one look at her brother, and she knew he had felt it too. Their Dad was upset. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that he was angry and hurting in a way neither of them had ever felt. Leia's eyes darted to the clock on the wall in the back of the room. They still had a couple more hours until they had mid-day break.

"Something wrong, Leia?" The captain asked, his eyebrow raised suspiciously at her.

"No," She said, turning her head forward again.

"Try to pay attention," He said sending her and Galen a warning look.

Leia rolled her eyes when he started lecturing again and sat back in her seat with her arms crossed. There were times she wondered why they needed these lessons. True, it was important that they knew basic fundamentals to get by in the world, but most of the lessons they had day-in and day-out just felt like overkill. She didn't care how fast Ezra traveled to get to the theater- he obviously got there so why did they have to take the time to calculate it? Sometimes she just figured these lessons were just an excuse so their father knew they weren't getting into trouble- or at least not as much trouble.

The turbulent emotions she felt from her father were troubling. There were moments- small moments- where it felt as though he were… happy, but there were more frequent feelings of sadness, frustration, and… disappointment. And what was even more troubling, was that the disappointment seemed to be directed at himself. Leia couldn't possibly imagine why- in her eyes he was perfect- not one to make mistakes and quick to correct the mistakes made by others, he was a perfectionist by nature and required the same level of discipline from every member of the crew. And when it came to being a father, he gave just the right amount of leeway for her and Galen's antics.

Leia glanced at the chrono once again. She desperately wanted to know what had transpired between her parents. But she was well aware any trick she pulled now would only spell trouble later. With a heavy sigh, she leaned forward and rested her chin on folded arms. It would seem her curiosity would have to be quelled until break.

[][][][]

Within the safety of his hyperbaric chamber, Vader ran his gloved hands over his bald head. A son… he had a son… and for so many years he had not known. The fact Padme hadn't told him upon reuniting with him angered him, but only for a moment. How could he begrudge her for wanting to protect their child, even from him? She didn't know at the time if she could trust him, and the fact that she had told him at all meant that she was at least beginning to trust him, which was a step in the right direction. Instead, his anger was directed at himself. His son was out in the galaxy, robbed of his parents and with Kenobi of all people. The old Jedi had probably filled his boy's head with lies meant to turn him against his own father. He should have pressed his search for Kenobi years ago. If he had, he might not have missed so much of his son's life. He would have been home, safe, with his family.

Vader took a breath and shook his head. There was more to worry about than things he could not change. He had to focus. He had to figure out how to find his son, he had to find Luke… But where would he start? Kenobi already had a ten-year head start, and he was almost certain he had not been in contact with the Rebellion since Padme hadn't heard anything… "Where are you, my old master?" He asked silently. He hadn't a clue where the man would hide now… but he knew where he had been.

Turning in his chair, he replaced his helmet and contacted the bridge from the communication monitor on the wall. Piett's face appeared instantly. "Change course, Admiral for Tatooine," He said.

The Admiral's eyes widened in surprised for a moment before clearing his throat, "But, my Lord, the Death Star-"

"Can wait," Vader cut in. "There is a matter of great importance that needs to be taken care of. I will deal with the Emperor."

Piett nodded in compliance before turning to relay his order to the crew and cutting the transmission.

Rising from his seat, he made for the living quarters. His mind raced as he pondered what his plan was exactly. He would need to make contact with the Emperor to explain why he delayed his visit to the Death Star but he was certain that no matter what he said to the man he would still be punished for it. Vader shuddered at the memory of the last time he had disobeyed but to him, it was worth it. Every second he was punished, meant he was one second closer to finding Luke and for the moment that was all that mattered.

Upon reentering the living quarters, he quickly realized how long he had been in his chamber. Leia and Galen were seated on the couch playing a hologame Padme was nowhere in sight, though. "Where is your mother?" He asked.

"She went for a walk," Leia said, looking up from her game, "Said she needed to clear her head," She explained.

Vader nodded and walked around the couch to leave and go look for her.

"Is everything okay?" Leia asked, following his actions with her head.

He didn't have to look at her to know she was worried. Vader cursed himself, knowing she must have felt his earlier frustration. "Yes, Princess," He answered, turning to look at her, "Everything is fine."

Leia furrowed her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked as if she wanted to argue his words but for once she held her tongue. He wanted to say more to reassure her- her fears were clearly projected through the Force and he wanted to tell her about Luke… but he was at a loss for how to tell her. Instead, he left to look for Padme.

He found her in the recreation room he had constructed for Leia and Galen- one of the few places on the ship that had windows. She sat watching as the _Executor_ turned ever so slowly as it redirected its path in preparation for their jump into hyperspace. Vader noticed her head turn ever so slightly as he entered the room no doubt aware of his presence since sneaking wasn't exactly possible for him. He waited several moments, unsure how he should start.

"We're changing course for Tatooine," He said. "It's the only place you were certain Luke was and as far as I'm concerned it's the best place to start…" Padme turned her head to glance at him out of the corner of her eye and he swiftly moved to stand in front of her, kneeling uncomfortably and placing his hand over hers, "I will find our boy, I swear it."

She nodded her head, "I know," She said. Vader squeezed her hand lightly and was pleased when she returned the gesture. "What about the Death Star?" She asked, "Palpatine wants you there, how do you intend to look for Luke without rousing suspicion from him?"

"I will simply tell the Emperor I have a lead on Kenobi's whereabouts," He said. "Palpatine knows of my grudge with him and once we have Luke, I just need to kill Kenobi." Padme visibly cringed at his words. "My plan does not meet your approval?" He asked.

"Do you really want to kill Obi-Wan?"

Vader pulled his hand away from her and stood up. "Do you not see what he did to me?" He all but shouted. "I live in a walking coffin because of him! I can't kiss my children goodnight because of him, He robbed me of my son, robbed you of both our children; he deserves death for what he has done."

Padme's eyes were wide as she stared up at him and he could feel her fear clearly through the Force. "You're right that Obi-Wan has robbed us of much," She started. "But to kill him out of revenge?"

Vader shrugged, "Revenge is the way of the Sith."

"And yet Sith can't love, can they?" She challenged. "You're not as much of a Sith as you claim to be. You're more my Ani than you are the monster Palpatine wants you to be." Padme reached out and took his large hand in both of hers, "You're nearly there, Ani. Don't fall again. I couldn't bear it, and neither could Leia."

Her words struck him and for a moment his mind flashed back to Mustafar and how Padme had pleaded with him to come back, except this time it was Leia's face he saw. He knew he wasn't the Sith he should be and that he was far from the Jedi he was… but maybe he was neither. Maybe his path was one meant to be carved from both extremes. Perhaps his path was neither dark or light, perhaps all he had to do was listen to the wisdom of his wife. After all, it was a well established early in their relationship that she was clearly the logical one while he was the more impulsive one. Whatever his path was meant to be, it was clear he would have to chose soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Short chapter. But it's been a while since an update and I felt this was best served on it's own. I really want to finish this story soon but at this point I predict... 20 more chapters or so based on all the things I have in my drafting journal and I'm still not sure if I should go happy ending, bittersweet ending, or tragic. No worries, I'll figure it out! Lead up to the ending won't happen soon so there is still time.**

 **Happy reading! I'll try to get another update out soon!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 14

Vader braced himself on his hands and knees as the image of the Emperor faded and the communication cut out. His breathing apparatus was damaged and let out a soft wheeze with every breath and steam rose from his body caused by the Sith lightning he had been punished with. He had expected it. His master was not one to tolerate changes. Though, it would seem he supported his search for the Jedi but not willing to show it. Instead opting to punish him physically while permitting him to continue the search. Vader knew his master well. Even years after the fall of the Jedi Order, the old man still feared if even one was still alive.

His body shook as he tried to stand, only to fall heavily to his knees again. He was too weak this time and while his mask still worked filtering out the air, he could still tell there were impurities in the air he was breathing from how much weaker he felt.

The door to the communication chamber opened and at first, he thought it must be the officers he had stationed at the door but when he felt a gentle hand on his back, he knew it wasn't. "Ani," His head lifted slightly to see Padme kneeling above him, one arm around his back and the other pressed to his chest. "What did he do to you?" He didn't answer and she didn't seem to need one as she carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tried to help him to his feet.

"This is not necessary," He said, stumbling as he stood.

"I beg to differ," She countered.

His legs ached and his joints felt stiff. He didn't want her to help but at the same time, he knew he was too weak to move on his own. Vader took a deep breath and allowed her to help, letting her guide him down the hall to the living quarters where he could sit in his hyperbaric chamber. "Leia and Galen are in bed," She said just before they reached the door. "They felt what happened, or at least knew something was happening."

Vader groaned, "I'm surprised you managed to get them to bed then," He said, his arm gripping his side as he hissed.

"It wasn't easy," She said. "I told them I'd take care of you, though." He nodded as she led him into the quarters and brought him to his room where he keyed in his entry code. He could feel how nervous she was seeing the only place he could take his mask off. Slowly, he took his arm from around her and carefully walked towards the chamber, climbing the stairs one at a time until he fell into his seat with a groan. Padme stood just outside the chamber, her eyes taking in every detail of the machinery that surrounded him. "I… I can't believe this is how you must live," She said, more to herself it seemed.

"It wasn't your doing," He said. "I… I deserve this."

Her eyes met his, "No you don't. No one does," She said.

"I did. I still do," He argued. "After what I did to you… I should never have raised my hand against you. What kind of man does that?" He said. "I could say I was insane that night, but that does not change that I almost killed you- almost killed our children." His hand touched the side of his mask, "If this is the price I must pay to atone for what I did… I gladly accept my fate."

Padme's eyes filled with tears and with one small step, she ducked into the chamber with him, her hands cupping his metallic cheeks. "I don't," She said. "There has to be a way to fix this."

"There isn't."

She shook her head, "There has to be," She argued, letting her forehead touching his. "I… I miss you," She said. "I miss your smile, I miss your voice- your real voice. I want Luke and Leia to know you as more than just… this."

Vader closed his eyes, trying to imagine she was really touching his flesh. It had been so long since she had been this close and wanted to be this close and yet he remembered every detail of her. He remembered the warmth of her skin, the smoothness of her hands, the smell of her favorite perfume, the way her hands felt carding through his hair. "I… I miss you too," He said.

He wanted to kiss her. But doing so would mean showing her his scarred visage and the thought alone terrified him. She knew he had been injured but does she know the true extent of those injuries? Does she know the face under the mask is nothing like the handsome face she remembers?

Padme pulls back from him and steps back out of the chamber, much to his disappointment. "You should probably fix your… respirator," She said.

Only at the reminder of the damage did he realize his breathing was shallow and he knew it wasn't just because of her proximity. "You're right," He said after a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow then. And thank you. For helping me, that is."

She gave him a small smile, "It was no problem at all," she said. "I want to help you."

There was a moment of silence that fell between them. The true meaning behind her words clear to him. What she had meant to say was, "I will help you back into the light." But that only brought back the questions he has been asking since she returned to his life and the answer was slowly becoming clear to him. While he wasn't sure if he could fully return to the light, he could not deny that he wants to. He wants to be free. He wants this war to end. He wants to be able to live not as Vader but as… someone else - someone good. It wasn't a realization he came to lightly and knowing how far he has to climb to get to that place, he isn't even sure if it is possible. But the way Padme looks at him, the way she seems intent on working things out with him; it looks as though she is willing to hold her hand out to him and help pull him from the darkness and raise him to stand beside her.

Trapped by his own thoughts, he barely heard her bid him goodnight and watched silently as she left his quarters before activating the switch that closed the hyperbaric chamber.


	15. Not An Update

**This is not the update you are looking for.**

Hello to my readers! SO SORRY for not updating this story! I just want to let you guys know that I have not forgotten about this story and that I am DETERMINED to finish it. Just a few quick updates:

To start, I am working on MAJOR rewrites for this story so this version is now **scrapped**.

This version is now has "(Old Version)" on the end of it because once I post the first chapter of the **new story** , I'll put an **update on this one** to let everyone following it know it's there. So please **Don't unfollow** if you want to read the finished story.

The **new version** will start to be posted once I **finish the entire story**. So when you see the story pop up, you know it will be 100% complete and **updates will be very regular.**

Again, I'm sorry for the delay but I PROMISE I will get it done!

Thank you for your continued support and interest!

-RDS


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